e-PrepTalk Aug-Sep 2015 PDF

Letters to the editor
Alcohol has uses too

While reading the edition of Prep
Talk, I was enlightened to know that
alcohol has certain medicinal properties
and that it is useful for human
consumption. Alcohol is present in
nature, extracted from plants, fruits and
flowers. Man consumes for his purpose,
whether to seek pleasure or escape from
grief, alcohol extracted or synthesised
from natural sources. But only health
experts use alcohol for useful purposes.
The article served as an eye-oener.
There was another informative article in
the same edition, in which social media
displayed luxury brands that were not
genuine. This is not proper, as many
people get influenced by the social
media and become misled as to their
usage. The edition carried several
useful articles that would serve the
general interests of readers, enhancing
their general awareness and feeding the
right news of develoments and
breakthroughs that have occurred, in a
digestible manner.
S Alagappan, Chitoor
Migrants have their issues

and concerns
People have lived in regions and
terrains for several generations,
pursuing their chosen vocations for
eeking out their livelihood. When they
leave their lands and move to different
countries, driven by the situations
uncontrollably, the host country faces
problems that were not thought of. The
case of the Columbians fleeing
Venezeula might be different from that
02 PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015
of the migrants in the European Union.

Yet they have posed challenges before
their respective nations that are
concerned with their plight, which call for
adept handling. Prep Talk came out with a
graphic account of both the crises. The
edition contained useful information on
matters relating to health and hygiene,
n a t u re a n d e n v i ro n m e n t , s p a c e
expeditions and corporate business,
which need to be known. Such snippets
would satiate the appetite of the
discernible reader, leading to sharing and
dissemination of knowledge in a
productive and healthy way.
Zelia Noronha, Chiplun
War veterans are relevant to

our country
Defence personnel serve the country
with utmost dedication, vigilance and
bravery, both during war and peace. They
make supreme sacrifices for the nation
with their lives, as also with deprivation

of family life and other enjoyment. They
deserve to be treated respectfully by the
government. The grievances of the exservicemen and other staff in various
ranks and capacities, which were kept
pending before the government for
several years, caused an unpleasant and
disturbing situation, compelling them
to take to warpath. The Cover Story of
the edition of Prep Talk made me think
deeply of the problems faced by these
b r a v e p e o p l e . H o p e f u l l y, t h e
government would attend to their woes
and come out with a solution which
would satisfy the defence personnel.
There was a piece in the edition which
described the way NASA would track
huuricanes. This would be a boon.
Rustam Abbas, Etawah
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Take Quote
Dear Readers,
Never before in recent times had the atmosphere in the country become
intolerant. It is not uncommon to find storms in tea cups taking place over
seemingly insignificant issues, examples of Much Ado About Nothing, to borrow
the Shakespearean phrase. A stray incident or an out-of-place remark by certain
people wielding position, power and influence is enough to cause an uproarious
situation and put the community and the state to ransom, often fuelled by rumours
and instigations by people having vested interests. However, this time, the
situation has resulted in an unprecedented backlash by writers, authors,
playwrights and other intellectual people, resulting in them showing resentment
and anguish by returning awards, honours other forms of recognition, conferred
on them, over the years, by Sahitya Akademi and other organisations of India. Some
of them have resigned from key posts of the institutions and organisations, in
which they were functioning all this while. They have protested vehemently on the
clamp on the intellectual freedom in present times, which has become a
disquieting feature of democratic India. The genesis and the happening of the
outrage on part of the members of the intelligentsia are detailed in this edition of
Prep Talk, which forms its Cover Story.
Alongside, there have been notable and significant events and happenings that
find space in this edition. Many of them have been in the form of achievements,
research and development ventures, cosmic journeys, forays into realms of
environment and ecology, medicine and therapy, health and fitness, science and
technology, trade and commerce, sports and games, et al. All these speak
eloquently of the human prowess, and that there are no heights that are not reached
by the human being, provided the indomitable spirit is properly exploited and
harnessed. At the same time, there are also those acts that are disdainful and
despicable. While the former is to be emulated, the latter should be avoided.
Friends, most among you would be preparing fervently to
crack the ensuing CAT and other entrance exams of BSchools. Develop the skills, practise intensely, go the extra
mile to acquire the wherewithal to make you a cut above the
rest.
Kar Ke Dikhayenge! Godspeed.
Sandeep Manudhane
It is not the cards youre dealt, it is

how you play the game.
Chris Pardo
Sometimes it is the smallest
decision that can change your life
forever.
Keri Russell
Most people want to improve their
situation but few take responsibility
for motivating themselves to make
changes.
Omar Periu
People who are unable to motivate
themselves must be content with
m e d i o c r i t y, n o m a t t e r h o w
impressive their other talents.
Andrew Carnegie
It is wiser to find out than to
suppose.
Mark Twain
Opportunities don't happen, you
create them
Chris Grosse
Great minds discuss ideas; average
minds discuss events; small minds
discuss people.
Eleanor Roosevelt
A loving silence often has far more
power to heal and to connect than
the most well-intentioned words.
Rachel Naomi Remen
The ladder of success is best
climbed by stepping on the rungs of
opportunity.
-Ayn Rand
PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015 03
Contents
Simplifying knowledge dissemination
Managing Editor
Sandeep Manudhane
Cover Story:
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India's intelligentsia claims it is threatened

by a Climate of Intolerance ........................................................
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Marketing and Sales :

Hemant Agrawal - 97555-99510
Current Events
Volume 14. Edition 02. August - September 2015
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Disclaimer :
The information given in this magazine is true to the best of
our knowledge. However, PT or any of its associates will not
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have crept into this publication. PT does not take
responsibility for returning unsolicited publication material.
To be a world class training and education organisation

shaping careers through innovative products and
services & the use of human technologies.
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Dinosaurs could have been warm-blooded .........................

Heavy air pollution in 80% of Chinese cities: Greenpeace
Samsung struggles to regain smartphone market share....
7 out of every 10 Indians are vitamin deficient ...................
SC seeks response on levy of pollution
compensatory charges ...........................................................
Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, the biggest
threat to internet, signed.......................................................
Tips to fight obesity and lose weight ...................................
Samsung is finally seeing a revival, and
smartphones are not the reason ...........................................
Cure for cancer might accidentally have been found .........
First nano-satellite functional: Nasa....................................
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MP govt mulls automated meters for electricity consumers ..

Nature thrives in Chernobyl, site of worst nuclear disaster....
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Nehru's niece Nayantara Sehgal returns

Sahitya Akademi award, protests rising intolerance ...........
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3 share Nobel medicine prize for new tools to kill parasites...
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14 elephants killed by cyanide poisoning in Zimbabwe .....

Amazon India is building an army of 'cowboys' & 'Jeff bots'....
Foods that fight wrinkles and ageing ...................................
Hypertension rising steeply in India ....................................
iPhone's India launch a bigger affair this time ...................
Listen to your body while you workout ................................
M-commerce roles need hunger to create impact..............
Nokia completes Alcatel-Lucent merger,
announces new team .............................................................
Odisha gets its 1st 100% solar-powered village ..................
Gas 'fingerprinting' used to monitor carbon
dioxide may reduce emissions ..............................................
Government to fast-track green clearances
for Sagarmala project.............................................................
Health mistakes we usually make.........................................
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Cover Story
India's intelligentsia claims it is

threatened by a Climate of Intolerance
ozens of Indian writers have returned top national

awards in a protest against what they call a climate of
intolerance in the emerging economic power.
The campaign, described as an unprecedented rebellion by

the cream of India's literary talent, follows a series of incidents
of communal violence and attacks on intellectuals.
More than 40 novelists, essayists, playwrights and poets have
now given back awards from the country's most prestigious
literary institution, the Sahitya Akademi.
One of the most prominent is the niece of Nehru, journalist
and author Nayantara Sahgal, who claimed that India's culture
of diversity and debate is now under vicious assault.
The row took on an international dimension earlier recently,
when Salman Rushdie weighed in, telling a local television
network that the failure of the government to act was allowing a
new degree of thuggish violence in India.
Delhi, the capital, believed their victim had eaten beef and beat
him to death outside his home.
In the second incident, Malleshappa Kalburgi, an awardwinning scholar, whose frequent criticism of what he saw as
superstition and false beliefs had angered the extremists, was
gunned down in the southern state of Karnataka.
Recently, 80-year-old novelist Dalip Kaur Tiwana said that

she was returning her Padma Shri, one of the most important
national decorations, which she won in 2004.
The authors, who write in English as well as regional

languages, have called on the Sahitya Akademi, which was
established nearly 60 years ago by India's independence leader
and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to publicly condemn the
murder of Kalburgi.
Tiwana, from the northwestern state of Punjab, said that she

was acting out of solidarity with those protesting against the
increasing communalisation of our society. To kill those who
stand for truth and justice puts us to shame in the eyes of the
world and God, Tiwana said.
The upsurges of sectarian tension in recent years have often

coincided with elections. Currently, voting is underway in a key
state-level election in the east of India.
The two incidents that have most angered the writers are the
lynching of a Muslim labourer in Dadri, last month, and the
murder of a rationalist thinker, in August, 2015.
In the first, a mob in the village of Bisara on the outskirts of
Some analysts say that rightwing groups allied to the

nationalist group are pushing to see how far they can go under
the incumbent government.
Samir Saran, of the Observer Research Foundation, said that
louder and more rabid rightwing groups in India felt
emboldened by the mandate won in last year's poll, and believed

that they now had more freedom of action.
However, Saran said that the greater scrutiny and reporting
of such incidents following the establishment of the government
obscured how such incidents had happened under previous
governments led by the centre-left Congress party too.
It is definitely getting greater prominence now, he said.
Senior government officials have however dismissed the
writers' protests, accusing them of being politically motivated.
If they say they are unable to write, let them stop writing,
Mahesh Sharma, India's Minister for Culture, said.
However, he also condemned the murders of Kalburgi and
Mohammed Akhlaq, the labourer lynched by the mob last
month.
The sectarian violence has had a significant impact on
India's image overseas and could undermine the government's
drive to attract investors.
There is a long history of clashes over culture and effective
censorship by parties and leaders from across the political
spectrum in India.
In one case earlier this year, a critically acclaimed Indian
novelist announced his death as a creative artist, following
threats and protests by rightwing religious and caste groups,
prompted by his book about a woman's efforts to get pregnant
with a stranger through a religious ritual.
Perumal Murugan said that he planned to stop writing and
asked his publishers to withdraw all his works of fiction from
sale.
In February 2014, religious conservatives forced the removal
from sale of a book on contemporary religion by the US
academic Wendy Doniger, claiming that it was insulting to the
faith.
An editorial in a leading newspaper at the time condemned
the growing power of bullying self-appointed censors,

displaying a Victorian hangover with a Taliban temperament.
The sale of Rushdie's 1988 novel The Satanic Verses remains
proscribed in India and its author was unable to appear at the
Jaipur literary festival in 2012 after Muslim organisations
protested.
Politicians have repeatedly sought to ban or restrict the sale
or production of specific books.
Returning the awards
One after the other, many well-known litterateurs of India
have returned the Sahitya Akademy Awards. Among them is the
noted Hindi poet and critic Ashok Vajpayee. Before him, the
English writer, Nayantara Sehgal, returned one of India's
highest literary honors. The objective of their returning the
awards is to protest against the visible attacks on the secular
credentials of Indian constitution, and the surprising silence of
the Prime Minister of India, who otherwise is swift in the
deployment of technology to propagate his achievements.
Three eminent writers from Punjab have announced that
they were returning their Sahitya Akademi awards, while
Kannada writer Aravind Malagatti resigned from the body's
general council, joining the growing protest by litterateurs over
rising intolerance and communal atmosphere.
Killing of personalities like Kalburgi, (Govind) Pansare and
incidents like Dadri lynching are an attack on the Constitutional
rights in this country. They are highly condemnable, Malagatti
said. Malagatti is among 20 representatives from various
Universities in the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi.
With the writers' protest over its silence on rationalist MM

Kalburgi's murder growing louder, Sahitya Akademi
chairperson Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari came out with a
statement saying that the apex literary body stands for freedom
of expression and condemns attack on any writer or artist
anywhere.
It asserted its commitment to the core secular values
enshrined in the Constitution and the right to life of all.
Eminent writers Gurbachan Bhullar, Ajmer Singh Aulakh
and Atamjit Singh, announced that they were returning their
Sahitya Akademi awards like several other authors including
Nayantara Sehgal, Sara Joseph, Uday Prakash and Ashok Vajpeyi,
demanding that the Akademi speak out against the killing of its
member Kalburgi and other rationalists and the communal
atmosphere, in the backdrop of the Dadri lynching incident.
Bhullar said that he was perturbed by the attempts to disrupt
the social fabric of the country
During recent past, the attempts at disrupting the social
fabric of the country, targeting particularly the area of literature
and culture, under an orchestrated plan of action, has been
perturbing me, he said.
The 78-year-old author born in Bathinda in Punjab had been
awarded the Sahitya Akademi for his 2005 book of short stories
Agni-Kalas. A renowned Punjabi playwright, Aulakh said that
he was very pained by the attacks on progressive writers,
leaders of the rational movement and the forcible regimentation
of education and culture. He said that he was very upset over
the communal atmosphere being created in the country and the
central government was not performing its duty as the
representative of a secular and democratic country. Punjabi
theatre personality Atamjit Singh said that he was returning his
Akademi Award as he is very upset over the incidents of
communal hatred in the country for the last some months.
Recently literary figures like Shashi Deshpande, K
Satchidanandan, P K Parakkadavu had resigned from their posts
in the Akademi, citing similar reasons. A federation of Kashmiri
scholars, Adbee Markaz Kamraz, too expressed solidarity with
the eminent writers for their decision to return Sahitya Akademi
awards, asking the top literary body to break its silence over the
increasing communal frenzy. Poet and critic Adil Jussawalla,
who won the Sahitya Akademi honour for his 2014 work, also
urged the literary body to condemn the unacceptable
censoring of writers by violently intolerant groups.
Jussawalla said he has written to chairperson of Sahitya
Akademi.
Writer Ganesh Devy returned his Sahitya Akademi Award to
express solidarity with the writers, who have recently given up
their awards to condemn the shrinking space for free
expression and growing intolerance towards differences of
opinion in the country. It is high time that writers take a
stand, Devy said in a letter addressed to the President of Sahitya
Akademi Prof Viswanath Pratap Tiwari. It is with utmost regret
that I would like to convey to you that I wish to return the 1993
Sahitya Akademi Award given in the category of books in English
to my work 'After Amnesia' (1992), he said in the letter.
"The great idea of India is based on a profound tolerance for
diversity and difference. They far surpass everything else in
importance. That we have come to a stage when the honourable
Rashtrapatiji had to remind the nation that these must be seen
as non-negotiable foundations of India should be enough of a
reason for the Sahitya Akademi to act," Devy said.
Kannada author K Veerabhadrappa had received the Sahitya
Akademi award for his novel 'Aramane.' He condemned the
academy's silence on the killing of a noted scholar, Malleshappa
M Kalburgi.
Eminent Rajasthani and Hindi writer

Nand Bhardwaj also registered his protest
by returning his Sahitya Akademi award.
Bhardwaj said that he was miffed with the
academy for not speaking up against
Kalburgi's killing.
Delhi-based Aman Sethi said he too
was returning the Sahitya Award he got in
1993, as the "spirit of inquiry is clearly under threat".
Literary figures like Shashi Deshpande, K Satchidanandan,
P K Parakkadavu had resigned from their posts in the Akademi,
citing similar reasons.
What is the Sahitya Akademi, and the Sahitya Akademi
Award?
The Sahitya Akademi is India's premier institution of letters,
with a stated commitment to promoting Indian literature
throughout the world. The Akademi was established by
Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also its first chairperson, and
inaugurated on March 12, 1954. Every year, the Akademi
announces awards for authors of works of outstanding literary
merit in Indian languages. Awards are currently given for 24
languages; the most recent additions being Bodo and Santhali in
2005. Awards in English began in 1960 the first recipient was
R K Narayan for his novel The Guide. Over the years, the
Akademi has introduced other awards such as the Bhasha
Samman, Yuva Sahityakar and Bal Sahitya Puraskar.
The first awards were given in 1955. The award amount was
initially Rs 5,000, and has been gradually raised it has been Rs
1 lakh since 2009. The Akademi is under the central
government's Ministry of Culture, but works as an autonomous
institution. To be eligible, the book must be an outstanding
contribution to the language and literature to which it belongs.
It may be a creative or a critical work, but must not be a work of
translation, an anthology, abridgement, compilation or
annotation, or university research paper. A committee of three
writers, selected by the Akademi president out of a panel of
seven names recommended by the Language Advisory Board,
chooses the awardee in each language.
WHAT DOES A SAHITYA AKADEMI

HONOUR MEAN FOR A WINNER?
Despite occasional controversies in
the Akademi's functioning, the main
award remains, after the Jnanpith, the
most prestigious and coveted literary
honour in India. The Akademi gets the
winning book translated into several
Indian languages, which ensures a wide readership, and
organises programmes for the winners in several parts of the
country. As it enhances the prestige of the winner, the award also
cements the credibility of the Akademi the honour is in effect
recognition for an outstanding original work that already had its
readers.
WHAT DOES RETURNING THE AWARD MEAN? WHAT

EXACTLY ARE THEY RETURNING? HOW?
Some have returned the award amount along with a formal
letter to the Akademi. A few others have sent letters, but have not
enclosed cheques. Some have just announced their decision,
but are yet to formally inform the Akademi. No one has returned
the award citation or trophy so far. As events unfold rapidly
across the country, the writers seem to be responding
instinctively to an atmosphere of protest a coordinated or
concrete mode of action is yet to take shape.
The Akademi is confounded. To accept the cheques would
mean the money would have to go back to its coffers. This
involves a procedure, and requires the approval of the Executive
Board. The cheques and the letters are still awaiting their fate at
the Akademi.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WRITERS'

PROTEST?
While the Culture Ministry has remained unruffled,
returning the Akademi award is a major statement, considering
that hardly anyone has done so in the last six decades. Writers
from across the country have accused the Akademi of having
failed to perform its duty as the custodian of literary freedom. It
is a severe indictment, and a powerful blow to the Akademi's

moral standing. The writers want the Akademi to speak up
against the establishment, something that the Akademi's
chairperson has been unable to do so far. This raises questions
about the Akademi's autonomy, and suggests, fairly or unfairly,
that it is under pressure from the government.
A protest by writers or artists is not the same as a dharna by a
political party. A community that works closely with metaphors
can be expected to protest through symbols. Critics have
derided these writers as inconsequential women and men of
whom very few have even heard, let alone reading their work. By
its very nature, however, literature would have significantly
fewer readers than popular, mass-produced books and the
fact that not many would have read or heard about Gora or Ek
Chithra Sukh or Samskara does not diminish the greatness of
either these works or of their authors, Rabindranath Tagore,
Nirmal Verma, or U R Ananthamurthy.
Some have questioned the politics and motivation of the
writers, saying they are returning awards given to them by the
Congress. However, Hindi poets Mangalesh Dabral and Rajesh
Joshi, and Punjabi writer Waryam Singh Sandhu received their
awards when Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government was in power,
and Punjabi writer Jaswinder was honoured last year, the first
year of ithe present governmrnt in Delhi.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
difference between Jean Paul Sartre, the writer, and Jean Paul
Sartre, the Nobel Prize winning writer. He refused to be part of
the process of institutional process and wished, like James Joyce,
to continue to remain an artist independent of the co-opting
forces of institutions, at the service of ideological ends. In the
current list of returnees, the motivation is not the reluctance to
be out of institutional actions but compel the institutions to
stand for the values which constitution has bestowed on them
and from which they draw the inspiration to continue to work
and disseminate ideas irrespective of allegiance to faith or creed.
The purpose of returning the award is dual.
One is to bring to bear an institutional force and the secular
logic on the head of the country to speak on behalf of the
minority, who feel insecure and threatened under the current
dispensation.
Second, the purpose of returning the awards is to raise
The Akademi is under great pressure, and has called an

emergency meeting of its Executive Board on October 23, to
discuss the situation. The announcement of this year's awards is
just about a month away. If the rebellion continues, that might be
jeopardised. Some writers have also pointed out that if the
controversy ends up destroying the authority of the Akademi, it
might prompt the government to take it over, thus destroying
everything that the protesters have been fighting for.
awareness of the masses against a rising tide of communal

politics. A kind of competitive politics, which will shred the India
that Gandhi had imagined, who incidentally felt that eating beef
cannot be banned in India. Such awareness from personages
who represent a reflective and contemplative India embodying
the wishes of millions, can make the ruling regime to sit up and
think about the consequences of their determined silence.
Whether their purpose is served or not, at least they listened to
What purpose does the return of awards serve? This is not

the first time that awards have been received and returned by
persons of eminence. Even Jean Paul Sartre refused to accept the
Nobel Prize. However, his reason was far different from that of
the above mentioned figures. To Sartre, there was a striking
their conscience, cutting through the din of media and barrage

of arguments and counter arguments, and expressed their
opinion in a manner which befits a person of letters; a
conscience which seems to have gone to seed among the
awardees.
a
Dinosaurs could have

been warm-blooded
new method to chemically

analyse dinosaur egg shells has
allowed scientists to gauge the
extinct lizards' body temperature,
researchers said recently.
The findings support recent work by
other teams that dinosaurs were neither
warm nor cold-blooded, but
somewhere in between, researchers
wrote in the journal Nature Communications.
But it also indicated that body temperature differed between
dinosaur species.
"The temperatures we measured suggest that at least some
dinosaurs were not fully endotherms (warm-blooded) like
modern birds," said the study's lead author Robert Eagle of the
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Warm-blooded animals typically

need to eat a great deal to stay warm,
forcing them into frequent hunts or to
eat large quantities of plants.
The team said it used a pioneering
procedure to measure the internal
temperature of dinosaur mothers which
lived some 71-80 million years ago.
They examined the chemical makeup of the shells of 19
fossilized eggs from two types of dinosaur, unearthed in
Argentina and Mongolia's Gobi desert.
One was a large, long-necked titanosaur sauropod, a
member of the largest animal group to ever to walk the Earth,
and the other a smaller oviraptorid closely related to
Tyrannosaurus rex and modern birds.
"They may have been intermediate somewhere between

modern alligators and crocodiles and modern birds."
The team analysed the behaviour of two rare isotopes in

calcium carbonate, a key ingredient in egg shells. The isotopes
carbon-13 and oxygen-18 tend to cluster together more
closely at colder temperatures.
This meant they could produce heat internally and raise

their body temperature, but not maintain it at a consistently high
level.
"This technique tells you about the internal body

temperature of the female dinosaur when she was ovulating,"
said Eagle's colleague, Aradhna Tripati.
Warm-blooded animals, or endotherms, typically maintain a

constant body temperature while cold-blooded ones, called
ectotherms, rely on external heat sources to warm up like
lizards lazing in the Sun.
The titanosaur mother's temperature had been about 38degrees celsius (100-degrees Fahrenheit), the team found. A
healthy human temperature is 37-degrees celsius.
Scientists have been debating for 150 years whether

dinosaurs were warm-blooded hunters, like mammals, or coldblooded and sluggish like many reptiles.
The smaller dinosaur was substantially cooler, probably

below 32-degrees celsius but was probably able raise its
temperature above that of its environment, said the team.
Fossilised soil from around the nest area in Mongolia had been
about 26-degrees celsius.
"If dinosaurs were at least endothermic (warm-blooded) to a

degree, they had more capacity to run around searching for food
than an alligator would," Eagle said.
"The oviraptorid dinosaur body temperatures were higher

than the environmental temperatures suggesting they were
not truly cold-blooded but intermediate," said Tripati.
Current Events
India
RAHUL GANDHI ON PADAYATRA, MEETS
AND COMFORTS DISTRESSED FARMERS
Undertaking a padayatra and interacting with farmers,
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi counselled the peasants
not to commit suicide, as it was no solution to their problems.
On his tour of Karnataka to comfort the distressed families
of farmers who had committed suicide, Rahul started about a
seven-km long padayatra from Maidur village in Haveri district
of north Karnataka. At the first stop of his padayatra, the
Congress MP had interactions with students at Maidur higher
primary school. Asked how he would solve the farmers
problems if he became the Prime Minister, Rahul said the
country should be run by the citizens and they should be
empowered to solve their problems.
During his interaction with farmers, he urged them not to
commit suicide because it is not the solution. He met the
farmers at Kandebagur helipad in Rannebennur, where they
raised concern over Kalasa-Banduri row between Goa,
Karnataka and Maharashtra. The farmers urged Rahul to exhort
pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request
President Pranab Mukherjee to intervene to resolve the matter.
About 50 farmers from Nargund and Navalgund and HubliDharwad were present.
The Kalasa-Banduri Nala (diversion) project, to utilise 7.56
tmcft of water from the inter-state Mahadayi river, is being
undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to
the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi
and Gadag, over which Goa has reservations. Protests are on by
several organisations and farmers across districts of North
Karnataka demanding implementation of Kalasa-Banduri
project.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior Congress
leader Digvijaya Singh, also in charge of party affairs in
Karnataka, and KPCC

President G Parameshwara
accompanied Rahul during his
outreach to farmers. Rahul
had visited Mandya district.
The visit of Rahul to Mandya
and Haveri districts came
against the backdrop of a sudden rise in farmerssuicides in the
last six months in Karnataka, with 541 peasants taking away their
lives. Mandya and Haveri districts were the most affected by
distress driven suicides.
MSU TO ASK MIZORAM GOVT TO MAKE

THE STATE SCHEDULED TRIBAL
Delegates of the Mizo Students Union (MSU), in its general
conference, decided to ask the Mizoram government to take
steps to ensure that the entire state be made scheduled (tribal)
area again. The MSU general conference, held in MizoramManipur border Darlawn village, adopted the resolution, where
several delegates stressed the need to make the entire Mizoram
a scheduled area again for safeguard and protection of the
natives of the state. As of now, scheduled areas in the state
comprised only of the Mara, Lai and Chakma autonomous
district council areas in Mizorams Saiha and Lawngtlai
districts. The MSU also adopted a resolution seeking
amendment to the Indian Constitution on the lists of Mizo
tribes. Leaders of the MSU felt that the present list of the Mizo
tribes had become a hurdle for the unity and integrity of the
Mizo ethnic groups.
JAITLEY BATS FOR AUTOMATIC INFO

EXCHANGE TO TACKLE BLACK MONEY
Keen to put in place a system to prevent international tax
evasion and avoidance, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made a
strong pitch for countries to implement Common Reporting

Standards on automatic exchange of information.
Jaitley in his intervention during the 49th Annual
Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting welcomed the
efforts of OECD in areas of BEPS project and automatic
exchange of information, which have important implications for
Commonwealth nations.
"He emphasised the need to ensure that the Common
Reporting Standards on Automatic Exchange of Information are
implemented globally on a fully reciprocal basis, as this would be
a key to prevent international tax evasion and avoidance," an
official statement said.
The OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)
Project provides governments with solutions for closing the gaps
in existing international rules that allow corporate profits to
'disappear' or be artificially shifted to low/no tax environments,
where little or no economic activity takes place.
Revenue losses from BEPS are conservatively estimated at
USD 100-240 billion annually, or anywhere from 4-10 per cent of
global corporate income tax (CIT) revenues.
Jaitley noted that India has been the beneficiary of these
systems by getting vital information on tax evasion and
emphasised the need for genuine and equitable multilateralism
in deciding global norms and standards on taxation.
The meeting of Commonwealth finance ministers also
focused on issues relating to infrastructure financing and small
states trade financing facility.
Jaitley was on an official tour from October 7 to 11 to Peru to
attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank as well as other associated meetings.
GOVERNMENT FRAMES FIRST TRANSFER

POLICY FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS
Accustomed to playing by their own rules in regard to
transfers and postings, rail officials are being shaken out from
their comfort zone by the NDA government.
In a radical policy reform initiative aimed at addressing
incongruities in administering the public sector monolith,
railways minister Suresh Prabhu unveiled the first-ever

comprehensive transfer policy for railway officers that defines
guidelines and tenures of posting and transfer of Grade A and B
categories of officers.
Aimed at tackling the problem of favoured officers
overstaying in particular locations and whimsical transfers,
the government has proposed a minimum of two and a
maximum of five-year tenure. The existing system has
promoted a culture of patronage and builds vested interests at
the expense of professional organisational needs, said an aide
of Prabhu.
The business of transfer and postings has also generated
controversies, including the 2014 cash-for-post scandal that led
to the resignation of then railways minister Pawan Kumar Bansal
and then Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar.
The new policy brings in a clause of a cooling-off period of a
minimum of three years for postings at the Railway Board in
New Delhi and reduces the maximum tenure for sensitive
posts from five to four years. The policy also provides that the
total stay at a stretch at a particular station wont be more than 10
years and the total cumulative stay (in broken spells) will not be
more than 15 years.
DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE OUR CORE

VALUES: PREZ AMID DADRI LYNCHING UPROAR
President Pranab Mukherjee said
that the country should keep in mind
core values of diversity and tolerance,
days after the killing of a 55-year-old
Muslim man over rumours that he and
his family members ate beef.
I firmly believe that we cannot allow the core values of our
civilization to be wasted and the core values are what over the
years the civilization celebrated diversity, promoted and
advocated tolerance, endurance and plurality.
These core civilization values keep us together over the
centuries. Many ancient civilizations have fallen. But that is
right that aggression after aggression, long foreign rule, the
Indian civilization has survived because of its core civilizational
values and we must keep that in mind. And if we keep those core
values in mind, nothing can prevent our democracy to move, he
said.
The Presidents remarks come in the wake of lynching of a

50-year-old man in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh by an enraged mob
over rumours that he stored and consumed beef, which has
sparked an outrage across the country.
The President was handed over a coffee-table book on him at
a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The book written by Prabhu Chawla, editorial director of
New Indian Express, was released by Vice President Hamid
Ansari.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Mukhtar
Abbas Naqvi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, leader of
opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Jammu
and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah and MPs were also present at
the function.
In his brief 15-minute address, Mukherjee said being a
political leader all along, he felt shy speaking at such an occasion
where a book on him was written. He said the country has made
tremendous progress in many sectors and there is no limit to
doing more.
There is no limit. We will have to do much more, he said.
He added that there is no end to work in the Presidents office,
which is considered strictly Constitutional and recalled how his
friends jokingly commented that he would not have anything
much to do in the post.
I in my own way, I am making my contribution to make the
country more important... After three years of coming here, I
recognise that much more is to be done. There is no end to
working in the Presidents office, which is considered strictly
constitutional, he said.
Lauding the strength of democracy in the country, the
President said that its electorate decisively decided to put an end
to the era of coalition and gave a single party government.
Despite their diversity and despite having a long period of
absence of single party majority, the Indian electorate decisively
decided to make an end of that. Many of us thought that perhaps
an era of coalition has reached and that no single party would
ever come (to power). In true sense, the marvel of Indian
democracy has its own strength and we must celebrate that, he
said.
He said he has closely seen many important events in the

country happen before him right from the first election, when
people wondered how an election covering 350 million people
can take place smoothly, to the last one. He also recalled his days,
when he entered Parliament as a member of the Rajya Sabha
during a turbulent period when Congress faced a major crisis
over bank nationalisation and eventually split.
The President also recalled his mother telling him to go to
school walking 10 kms everyday and that impacted his mind to
strive hard when there is no option.
He lauded the work of Prabhu Chawla, who along with his
team put the book together, describing it as a gift from his
friends and near and dear ones. Ansari said the book is a small
tribute to an eminent personality, who has a range of experience
and depth of understanding issues.
Praising the book, Rajnath Singh said to put Mukherjees life
in a book is difficult to do so for such a personality who has not
been in politics only to be in power and one who had strived
successfully to bring about consensus in Parliament on many
issues. He played the most important role in bringing about
consensus, the Home Minister said.
TOTAL OF 7,500 KM OF HIGHWAY

PROJECTS UNDER RISK: CRISIL
Despite the government's recent steps to alleviate the
problems in the road construction sector, 53 per cent of the
highway projects under construction under the build, operate
and transfer (BOT) framework are at risk of never being
completed, a Crisil report released recently finds.
About 5,100 km of BOT [build, operate, and transfer]
highway projects, or around 53% of those under construction in
India, are at high risk of not being completed because of delays
in land acquisition and clearances, and weak wherewithal of
sponsors, the report titled No smooth ride said.
The report found that 37 per cent of BOT projects, of 3,520
km, are in the high implementation risk category. High
implementation risk means that less than 70 per cent of the
project has been completed and the delay in completion is
expected to be between 12-18 months.
Making matters worse is the fact that about 2,400 km, or 40

per cent of the total length of operational BOT highways, are not
in a position to service their debt on their own due to lowerthan-estimated traffic and resultant toll collections. Thus, the
report finds, a total of 7,500 km of projects (both under
construction and already operational) are at risk.
In the next two years, these projects require a toll revenue
growth of around 40 per cent in order to service their debt
obligations. Thats a tough ask considering that toll rates are
linked to WPI inflation, which is in negative territory. And traffic
has just started to inch up and is yet to reach double digits in
most cases, said Sushmita Majumdar, Director, Crisil Ratings.
Apart from delays in land acquisition and clearances, one
major problem the report cited was the financial weakness of the
sponsors of these projects.
Raising funds
The report finds that to ensure that the under-construction
projects progress on schedule, their sponsors will have to raise
around Rs. 28,500 crore. The stronger sponsors should be able
to raise Rs. 6,700 crore through accruals and borrowings, and
they should be able to raise an additional Rs. 9,300 crore in the
next few years through the recently introduced reform measure
of allowing 100 per cent exit from projects two years after
completion.
However, this leaves a gap of Rs. 12,500 crore over the next
three years that the weaker sponsors do not have the wherewithal
to raise at the moment, the report said.
Another source of problems, the report says, has to do with
the timing of the project bids. The majority of the projects
under stress today were bid between fiscals 2010 and 2012 and
involved acquisition of large swathes of land. Most were
aggressively bid for, leading to high premium payments.
Funding avenues then tapered leaving sponsors unable to
finance projects at hand, the report said.
Govt. policies
Reform measures initiated by the government have helped,
Crisil says. The new policy that allows developers to exit projects
following their completion, in particular will help highway
projects and their developers. Not only can the funds raised
through this route help in turning around stressed projects and

meet existing commitments, a change in promoters could also
open up new avenues of finance, the report says.
BIHAR POLLS: LALU PRASAD YADAV

DOWNPLAYS HIS SONS AGE DISCREPANCIES
Swatting away rumors on the
discrepancies in the age of his sons
as per the affidavits filed by them,
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav said
that there was no error whatsoever
and what was mentioned in the
voter list was final. Tejaswis age in voter id is real and there is
no dispute related to that. What is written in the voter list is
final, Lalu affirmed. Lalus younger son Tejaswi, however, said
there is an error in the affidavit and added that they have filed a
complaint in this regard. The affidavit filed by the RJD chief s
elder son Tej Pratap Yadav while submitting his nomination
from the Mahua Assembly seat in Vaishali district shows his age
as 25 years. The affidavit filed by Tejaswi, who is contesting from
the Raghopur assembly seat, shows his age as 26 years.
INDIA BANKS ON SUBSIDY CUTS,

HIGHER TAXES ON FUELS
India is experimenting, said the submission, with a careful
mix of market mechanisms together with fiscal instruments and
regulatory interventions to mobilise finances for climate
change.
India would need to spend at least $2.5 trillion between 2015
and 2030 on mitigation activities to meet targets as part of its
Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)
submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC).
To achieve the INDC of reducing the emissions intensity of
its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from the 2005 level, India
has said it will bank on fiscal measures including fuel subsidy
cuts and increased taxes on fossil fuels including diesel and
petrol.
The Modi governments policy of duty increases that are an
implicit carbon tax of $140 for petrol and $64 for diesel in
absolute terms will help India achieve a net reduction of 11

million tonnes of CO emissions in less than a year.
Over the past one year, India has almost cut its petroleum
subsidy by about 26 per cent, according to the 38-page
document. This, it said, is substantially above what is now
considered a reasonable initial tax on CO emissions of $25- $35
per tonne. The subsidies cuts and increased taxes on fossil
fuels have turned a carbon subsidy regime into one of carbon
taxation.
India is experimenting, said the submission, with a careful
mix of market mechanisms together with fiscal instruments and
regulatory interventions to mobilise finances for climate
change.
Cess on coal
One of the dedicated funds at the national level for meeting
the costs of mitigation is the cess on coal. In 2010, the cess was
imposed at the rate of Rs.50 ($0.8) per tonne of coal and has been
quadrupled to Rs.200 ($ 3.2) per tonne of coal. The coal cess
translates into a carbon tax equivalent, using the emission factor
for coal, of about $2 per tonne. This forms the corpus for the
National Clean Environment Fund -- used for financing clean
energy, technologies, and projects related to it.
The total cess collection, of Rs.17,084 crore ($2.7 billion) till
2014-15, is being used for 46 clean energy projects worth
Rs.16,511 crore ($2.6 billion).
Tax-free infrastructure bonds of Rs.5,000 crore ($794
million) are also being introduced for funding of renewable
energy projects during the year 2015-16, India said.
Forestry sector
Also included in the submission is the 14th Finance
Commission recommendation on incentives for forestry sector
that has based the devolution of funds to states from the federal
pool of taxes on a formula that attaches 7.5 per cent weight to the
area under forest. According to the estimations based on 14th
Finance Commission data, the initiative provides afforestation a
boost by conditioning about $6.9 billion of transfers to the states
based on their forest cover, which is projected to increase up to
$12 billion by 2019-20. Implicitly, India is going to transfer to
states roughly about $174 per hectare of forest per year which
compares very favourably with other afforested countries, the
INDC document said.
GOA: RAMNATHI VILLAGERS SEEK BAN

ON SANATAN SANSTHA
Locals of Ramnathi in North Goa district, where the Sanatan
Sanstha is headquartered, have demanded a ban on the rightwing outfit and urged the state government to ensure that its
ashram is shifted out of their village failing which they would
intensify their agitation against them and their sadhaks
(seekers).
The villagers have given the state
government a weeks time to ban the
Sanstha or shift the ashram at Ramnathi
saying that they would organise a rally and
a public meeting at Ponda (taluka) bus
stand if their demands are not met. This
is not the first time that the villagers have protested against the
Sanstha based in Ramnathi in Ponda, known for a cluster of
popular temples. They had earlier done so after the 2009 bomb
blasts when mastermind Gonda Patil and accomplice Yogesh
Naik, both full-time members of the Sanstha, died while
ferrying IEDs on their scooter to a Diwali gathering in Margao,
located 35 km from Panaji.
Village sarpanch Shamila Lotlikar claimed that she has been
approached by several locals with a demand that the ashram be
shifted from Ramnathi following which she has appealed to the
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to do so immediately.
Ramnathi Yuva Sangh President Saurabh Lotlikar also sought to
free the village from the menace of Sanstha after its members
came under the scanner for alleged involvement in the murder
of veteran communist leader and rationalist Govind Pansare in
Maharashtra.
Sameer Gaikwad, a full-time seeker of the Sanstha, has been
arrested in the Pansare murder case. The Special Investigating
Team (SIT), probing the murder of Pansare, suspects role of two
more Sanstha members Rudra Patil and Sarang Akolkar alias
Kulkarni, who are absconding in connection with the 2009 blast,
in the case. Rudra along with Sarang have been declared
absconders by National Investigation Agency (NIA) since the
Goa blasts. Pansare was shot along with his wife near his
residence in Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16. He

succumbed to injuries four days later in Mumbai.
the increased import of cheap steel from China due to the

devaluation of yuan.
CORE SECTOR REGISTERS 2.6% GROWTH
The data from the core sectors, many of which are integral to
the manufacturing process, is at odds with the private sector
PMI data for August, which fell to 52.3 from 52.7 in July. This
index is a measure of the economic health of the manufacturing
sector.
Natural gas production growth at 3.7% is in the positive

territory for the first time in nearly five years.
The index of eight core industries registered a growth of 2.6
per cent in August 2015 compared to its levels in August 2014.
This is significantly higher than the 1.1 per cent registered in
July.
PM MODIS DIGITAL INDIA VISION

CENTRAL TO REVOLUTION: PICHAI
Five out of eight of the sectors registered a growth of more

than five per cent in August. The three that failed to hit this mark
were coal, natural gas, and steel.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of technology giant Google, said that

India has long been an exporter of talent to technology
companies, but is now undergoing its own revolution that will
have great benefits for the 1.2 billion people in the country.
The strongest growth came from the fertiliser sector, which

grew a whopping 12.6 per cent in August compared to 8.6 per
cent in July. This marks the highest level of growth the sector has
achieved since May 2014 when it grew at 17.5 per cent.
Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Silicon

Valley, the India-born CEO said there is tremendous excitement
for his visit among all Googlers and the entire Indian
community.
The crude oil sector broke its short phase of contraction with
growth coming in at 5.6 per cent in August following two months
of growth numbers being negative. The refinery products sector
also saw strong growth in August, at 5.8 per cent compared to 2.9
per cent in July.
The bond between India and the Silicon Valley is strong.

India has long been an exporter of talent to tech companies.
Growth in electricity production accelerated for the second

month in a row, at 5.6 per cent in August compared to 3.5 per
cent in July and 0.2 per cent in June. Cement production also saw
a similar growth trend, coming in at 5.4 per cent in August up
from 1.3 per cent in July.
Coal production grew marginally in August, by 0.36 per cent
compared to 0.3 per cent in July, which was the lowest it had been
since October 2013. Natural gas production which grew by 3.7
per cent in August was in the positive for the first time in
nearly five years. The last time the sector saw any growth was in
November 2010.
The steel sector was the only one out of the eight core sectors
that saw a contraction, which accelerated to -5.9 per cent in
August compared to -2.5 per cent in July. This is probably due to
The products built by Indian graduates from IIT and other

institutions have helped revolutionise the world. But it is India
thats now undergoing its own revolution, he said in a YouTube
video.
He saw great benefits for everyone in the country as many
people will come online for the first time, especially those in
rural areas and Indic language speakers.
It will also help girls learn new skills and have successful
careers, power education of the next generation and help
businesses of all sizes to find new customers, Pichai said.
Were looking forward to your remarks at the SAP Centre in
San Jose, and also when you come to Google... We hope your visit
will energise people in the Valley, excite Indians all across the
country, and renew and strengthen our partnership, he said.
Prime Minister Modis Digital India vision is central to this
revolution. It focuses on connecting the 1.2 billion people in
India. It has received tremendous support in India and in Silicon

Valley, Pichai said.
CBDT TO ISSUE PRE-FILLED ITR FORMS TO EASE E-FILING
Highlighting the role played by Google, Pichai said that the

company as well as many others around the world is passionate
about playing their part.
As part of efforts to popularise the electronic mode of filing

Income Tax Returns (ITRs), the CBDT is planning to provide
pre-filled return forms to filers, which will have an automatic
upload of data on income and other vitals of a taxpayer.
Some of our initiatives include making our products work

on low bandwidth and even offline, making the Web accessible in
Indic language, providing low-cost Chromebooks in Indian
schools, investing in core infrastructure and affordable
smartphone with Android One, he said.
The apex policy-making body of the I-T department is

actively working to ensure that this customer-friendly measure
can be launched for taxpayers from the next financial year.
During his US visit, Modi was also scheduled to meet

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and address a town hall
question and answer session on September 27 at the companys
headquarters in California. He is expected to meet Apple CEO
Tim Cook and electric carmaker Teslas CEO Elon Musk,
among others.
Modi is addressing the India-US Startup Konnect and share
his vision on Start up India, Stand up India to be hosted by
Indian IT industry body Nasscom, The Silicon Valley, and IIM
Ahmedabads CIIE India
RAILWAYS PICKS FIRMS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL STUDY

Railways has appointed
consortiums led by Chinese,
French and Spanish firms to
conduct studies into building
three high-speed rail lines
linking major cities, as part of
Prime Minister Narendra Modis
diamond quadrilateral project.
A consortium led by Chinas Third Railway Survey and
Design Institute Group Corp. and Lahmyer International
(India) Pvt., has been chosen to conduct a feasibility study for a
1,200 kilometre line between Delhi and Mumbai. Frances
SYSTRA engineering consultancy will lead a consortium, which
includes RITES and E&Y LLP, for conducting a study in a
proposed high speed railway corridor between Mumbai and
Chennai. The Railways has awarded the consultancy for
conducting feasibility study on Delhi-Kolkata high speed
corridor to a consortium of Spanish transport consultancy,
TYPSA and Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats Pvt.
The move comes in the backdrop of the new e-filing system,

put in place in August, which allows online verification of an ITR
by using either the Aadhaar number, Internet banking, ATM
among others.
Small taxpayers with income less than Rs. 5 lakh and without
claims of refund can generate an electronic verification code
from the e-filing website of the tax department, which is later
sent to their registered email to e-verify the return.
We are looking at a possibility of making more entries for a
pre-filled form so that it becomes easier for the taxpayer to file
an e-return. We want to ensure that when technology moves, we
can always bring in better facilities to make the life (of taxpayers)
even easier, CBDT Chairperson Anita Kapur said.
She said these technology upgrades are proposed to be
initially started for small taxpayers, who file the one-page ITR
(ITR 1), and the thinking in the department is that when the
data of income as per previous records is automatically
uploaded, then the taxpayer can file their ITRs quickly and
wherever there are any amendments or changes, those can be
corrected by the taxpayer himself.
We want to give the taxpayers the right to change or correct
their figures (in the new system) and help them file their ITR as
quickly and easily as possible, she said.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is particularly
bolstered on this front by the latest figures, which recently
reported that the tax department received 2.06 crore returns on
its e-filing portal, which is an increase of 26.12 per cent over the
last year, when 1.63 crore returns were filed online.
Heavy air pollution in 80% of

Chinese cities: Greenpeace
ollution in nearly 80 per cent of Chinese cities surveyed

by Greenpeace "greatly exceeded" national standards
over the first nine months of this year, the advocacy
group said on Thursday.
The average level of PM2.5 particulates -- small enough to
deeply penetrate the lungs -- in the 367 cities tested was also
more than four times the maximum recommended by the World
Health Organization (WHO), Greenpeace said.
Nearly 80 per cent of the cities exceeded the national
standard on PM2.5, which is significantly less strict than the
WHO benchmark, despite an overall improvement from the
same period last year.
Widespread use of coal for power generation and emissions
from heavy industry regularly swathe Chinese cities in smog,
linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year.
It is a major source of discontent with the ruling Communist
party, who have announced measures such as moving power
plants, but few expect rapid improvements.
Beijing's average over the nine months was 72.1 while

Shanghai's was 50.4.
China's capital ranked as one of the most polluted cities,
despite factory closures to ensure blue skies for a massive
military parade last month.
Locals dubbed the reprieve "parade blue" but Greenpeace
said such short-term interventions had a "negligible effect on
overall long term air quality".
Greenpeace said that average pollution levels were about 10

per cent lower than the same period last year.
"Rather than temporary measures, we need a long term

strategy and systemic change to China's energy structure," Dong
added.
"Although we're seeing gradual improvement, air pollution

levels are still unhealthy and unsafe," said Greenpeace East Asia
Climate and Energy campaigner Dong Liansai.
Greenpeace called for a cap on coal use to be included in

China's new five-year economic plan, currently being drafted by
the ruling Communist party.
The most polluted cities were Kashgar and Hotan in China's

northwestern Xinjiang region, and the northern industrial hub
of Baoding.
Average PM2.5 readings across the surveyed cities was 47.2
micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO maximum for annual
average exposure is 10 while China's annual standard is 35.
"A cap on coal consumption is critical for reducing air

pollution and bringing back healthy, breathable air to our cities,"
Dong said.
Recently, a player at the China Open tennis tournament held
in Beijing in thick haze said pollution had made him vomit, while
fans wore face masks. Heavy air pollution in 80% of Chinese
cities: Greenpeace
Current Events
World
AFGHAN PRESIDENT APPOINTS INVESTIGATORS
FOR KUNDUZ AIRSTRIKE
Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani has appointed a
commission to investigate a US airstrike in northern Kunduz
city that destroyed a hospital and killed at least 22 people, his
spokesman said.
The five-man team would leave soon for Kunduz to look into
the cause of the October 3 airstrike on a trauma center run by the
international charity Doctors Without Borders, Ghanis deputy
spokesman Zafar Hashemi said.
The team would be led by the former head of the national
intelligence agency Amrullah Saleh, he said, and would report to
the president.
The airstrike was requested by Afghan ground forces,
according to the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Gen.
John F Campbell, but mistakenly hit the hospital.
The bombing continued for about an hour and destroyed the
hospitals main building. President Barack Obama apologized
and the US military is investigating. The hospital has been
abandoned.
Doctors Without Borders said that 12 staff members and 10
patients, all of them Afghans, were killed. Many more are still
missing though all internationals have been accounted for.
which is made up of diplomats,

legal experts, doctors and
some former military officials
from nine European countries,
including Britain and Russia.
It was created after the Gulf
War in 1991, and has never
deployed a fact-finding
mission.
Stokes said earlier that Doctors Without Borders - a Nobel
Peace Prize-winning organization that provides medical aid in
conflict zones - is awaiting responses to letters sent to 76
countries that signed the additional protocol to the Geneva
Conventions, asking to mobilize the 15-member commission.
For the IHFFC to be mobilized, a single country would have
to call for the fact-finding mission, and the U.S. and Afghanistan
- which are not signatories - must also give their consent.
Meanwhile, the situation in Kunduz remains tenuous, as
government troops continue to battle to clear remnants of the
Taliban from pockets within the city and its outskirts.
Sarwar Hussaini, spokesman for the provincial police chief,
said three areas of the city had been retaken overnight, though a
gas station in Seh Darak had been hit by a rocket and destroyed.
Hussaini said he did not know which side was responsible.
Ghani met with representatives of Doctors Without Borders,

his office said.
Kunduz resident Abdullah, who gave only one name, said

that people were still leaving the city for safety. He said he had
seen grocers emptying their shops of food to take home, fearing
ongoing scarcities.
He told the groups general director Christopher Stokes and

Afghanistan representative Guilhem Molinie that he had
ordered Afghan security forces to ensure the protection of
humanitarian organisations, a statement said.
The World Food Program said it was feeding thousands of

people in camps in other cities in the north, and that additional
wheat is being milled in anticipation of increased needs in the
coming days.
It made no mention of a call by Doctors Without Borders for

an independent probe of the incident, specifically by the Swissbased International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission -
Food and water are still not getting through in adequate

quantities, and the city remained without electricity, residents
said.
The whole city is empty of people, Abdullah said.

Residents are still not feeling safe.
GREECES NEW SYRIZA-LED GOVT

SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
The Syriza party government led
by Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras survived a no-confidence
vote, bolstering the left-wing leader as
he gets down to implementing
reforms demanded by creditors.
The governing coalition of the
premiers left-wing Syriza party and the nationalist Independent
Greeks (ANEL) used their 155-strong majority to pass the
motion through the 300-seat parliament.
The vote wraps up three days of debate, which were largely
for forms sake after Tsipras in July signed Greece up to a
roadmap of budgetary overhauls agreed with the IMF and EU, in
return for further bailout funds.
His agreement to further belt-tightening sparked a rebellion
by the left wing of his party, prompting the government to call
fresh elections, which Syriza comfortably won last month.
Before the vote, Tspiras said his primary goal was to
implement reforms demanded by Greeces creditors, allowing
them to to conclude the recapitalisation of the banks by the end
of the year and begin talks on debt restructuring.
The 41-year-old premier also welcomed comments from
French President Francois Hollande, who told the European
Parliament that the deal struck between Athens and Brussels
should now become a discussion on debt servicing.
Tsipras argues that the quickest way for Greece to regain its
economic sovereignty is to keep its commitments to its
creditors, so Athens can begin negotiations with the EU and
IMF on restructuring its unbearable debt burden.
In July, Athens signed up to more tax hikes and public
spending cuts in return for a three-year, 86-billion-euro ($96billion) EU bailout -- its third since 2010.
In a sign that the sense of crisis has passed after Greece
came close to the brink of economic collapse this summer, the
Bank of Greece hailed signs of an improvement in the liquidity of
Greek banks and a stabilisation of deposit flows.
Greece agreed to a series of measures to be implemented by

mid-October to unlock the first tranche of two billion euros
($2.2 billion) from its latest international rescue package.
This will be followed swiftly by another billion euros,
provided further conditions are met, as part of an initial 26billion-euro package approved by creditors in August.
Ten billion euros were set aside for the recapitalisation of
Greeces banks and another 13 billion euros was immediately
put towards repaying debts to the IMF and European Central
Bank.
The bailout is conditioned on a series of controversial
reforms, including reforming state pensions, tax increases on
farmers and privatisations of cherished state companies.
The full programme must have parliaments backing by
around October 15, government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili
said Wednesday.
Addressing parliament, Greek Finance Minister Euclid
Tsakalotos said the reforms would weigh heavily on numerous
social groups but said it was important to move ahead quickly
and successfully.
CHINA ADOPTS IMF STATISTICAL

BENCHMARK TO IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY
China will conform to the latest statistical standards set by
the IMF to improve transparency and remove scepticism about
the economic data provided by the world's second largest
economy, especially in the backdrop of global concerns over the
slowdown of its economy.
After approval from the cabinet, the People's Bank of China
(PBOC) governor Zhou Xiaochuan informed IMF of its decision
to conform to the Special Data Dissemination Standards
(SDDS) of the IMF, the bank announced.
Since 2002, China has used the General Data Dissemination
System (GDDS), which the IMF set up in December 1997, to
provide a framework for countries to adapt and improve their
statistical systems.
The GDDS applies to all IMF members, while the SDDS
applies to member countries that have or are seeking access to
international markets.
The SDDS was started by the IMF in 1996 to help it gain
access to regular economic and financial statistics and assist
participating countries in crafting updated economic policies

and gaining access to financial markets.
The move came amid global concerns over slowdown of
China's economy, which is having a cascading effect on the
global economy.
According to IMF, China's growth is expected to slow from
7.3 per cent in 2014 to 6.8 per cent this year and 6.3 per cent in
2016, as the country struggles with its shift from export to
consumption-driven economy.
Analysts say SDDS is expected to add more credibility to
China's economic data by removing scepticism about the
figures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping promised last November at the
Brisbane G20 Summit that China would switch to the SDDS.
In the past year, China's central economic agencies have
worked to meet the IMF's SDDS statistics requirements, staterun Xinhua news agency reported.
The IMF has been caught up in a

protracted, politically charged battle
over reforms intended to reflect the
changing global economy by giving
emerging giants such as China more
weight at the Fund.
"It is an issue for the credibility and
t h e re p re s e n t a t i v e n e s s o f t h e
institution, particularly vis-a-vis the under-represented
countries," IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said at
the Fund's annual meeting in Lima, Peru.
The reforms a doubling of IMF funding and a reallocation
of voting power to boost China and other up-and-coming
economic powers -- were originally propelled by Washington,
and President Barack Obama's White House has repeatedly
endorsed them.
But the US Congress has refused for three years to sign off
on the deal, with some legislators not wanting to contribute
more money to the IMF and others concerned about eroding US
dominance of the Fund.
The adoption of SDDS is a necessary step in reform and

opening up, which will further improve China's statistical
transparency, credibility and comparability among different
economies, the PBOC said.
As the rules stand now, China, the world's second-largest

economy, has less than four percent of the voting power at the
IMF -- barely more than Italy, an economy one fifth its size.
PBOC Deputy Governor Yi Gang and David Lipton, first

deputy managing director of the IMF, attended a ceremony to
celebrate China's adoption of the SDDS in Peruvian capital
Lima.
"I... very much hope that (reforms) will be taken seriously

and that the US authorities will actually appreciate the need to
reinforce an institution that they participated very actively in
creating," Lagarde said.
At the ceremony, Yi said China and the IMF have been

working together to improve China's statistics for many years,
and subscribing to the SDDS is another milestone in the
collaboration.
US Treasur y Secretar y Jacob Lew repeated the

administration's support for the reforms, adopted back in 2010.
The IMF and the US also welcomed the move, calling it "an
important advance."
Adhering to the SDDS shows "China's strong commitment
to transparency as well as to the adoption of international best
practices in statistics," Lipton said.
IMF'S 'CREDIBILITY AT STAKE IN

REFORM ROW: LAGARDE
Washington's use of its de facto veto at the International
Monetary Fund to block reforms giving emerging countries a
greater say is jeopardizing the IMF's credibility, its leader said.
"The consequences for the United States and the

international financial community are very significant if quota
reform is not done," he said.
NORTH KOREAN CAPITAL SET

FOR MILITARY EXTRAVAGANZA
The North Korean capital Pyongyang braced for what was
predicted to be one of the largest ceremonial displays of military
strength in the nuclear-armed nations history.
A cavalcade of tanks, armoured vehicles and assorted
ballistic hardware was set to rumble through the citys Kim IlSung Square, with thousands of hard-marching troops for
escorts, in celebration of the ruling Workers Partys 70th
birthday. One thing the organisers could not control was the
weather, with an overnight thunderstorm and light rain in the
morning threatening to put a dampener on the whole event. With
the roads slick with rainwater, there was still no formal
announcement of when the parade would actually begin.
But hundreds of military trucks, used to ferry participants to
the parade venue, were lined up along the banks of the capitals
Taedong River, suggesting the event would go ahead. Taking the
salute from the massed military ranks will be supreme leader
Kim Jong-Un, the third generation of a family dynasty that has
ruled the North with absolute authority for the past seven
decades. Kim paid tribute to that legacy with a midnight visit
Friday to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which serves as the
mausoleum for his father Ki Jong-Il and grandfather Kim IlSung, North Koreas founding leader.
The scale of the parade was already apparent from satellite
images taken four days before, which showed a sprawling
training ground in Pyongyang featuring some 800 tents, 700
trucks and 200 armoured vehicles. As with similar displays in the
past, the event will be closely watched for glimpses of any new
hardware that might signal a forward step in the Norths military
development. When announcing plans for the grand-style
parade back in February, the ruling partys top decision-making
body had stressed the importance of cutting-edge weaponry
suitable for modern warfare.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and
threatened a fourth as part of a nuclear weapons and missile
programme that it has pursued through a barrage of
international sanctions. There is debate among experts as to
how far it has come in developing those weapons, especially the
ability to shrink nuclear warheads so that they can fit on a
missile. An exhaustively researched report published by the USbased Institute for Science and International Security estimated
that North Korea had between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons as of
the end of 2014.
UN CHIEF WELCOMES NEW HEAD OF UN

CLIMATE SCIENCE PANEL
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the
election of a new head of the UN climate science panel.
The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
elected Lee Hoesung of South Korea as its chairman. He will
guide the panels work on assessing the science related to
climate change, Xinhua reported. Ban in a statement reaffirmed
his support for the IPCCs role in supplying decision-makers
and the public with the worlds most authoritative scientific
understanding of climate change, including its impacts as well

as solutions.
The Secretary-General looked forward to the IPCCs new
leadership at this critical moment when governments are
preparing for the global climate change conference in Paris later
this year, said the statement. Lee, aged 69, is professor in the
economics of climate change, energy and sustainable
development at Korea Universitys Graduate School of Energy
and Environment. He is currently one of the IPCCs three vicechairs. The IPCC, set up in 1988, is the world body for assessing
the science related to climate change. It has been endorsed by
the UN General Assembly to provide policymakers with regular
assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts
and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
UK SPIES CAN HACK SMARTPHONES

REMOTELY: SNOWDEN
British spies can hack into phones
remotely with a simple text message and
make audio recordings or take photos
without owners knowing, former US
intelligence contractor Edward Snowden
revealed.
They want to own your phone instead of you, the
whistleblower said in an interview with the BBCs Panorama
p r o g r a m m e , r e f e r r i n g t o B r i t a i n s G o v e r n m e n t
Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) agency.
Snowden claimed that GCHQ used a series of interception
tools called Smurf Suite, after the blue cartoon characters,
The Smurfs.
Nosey Smurf enabled spies to switch on a smartphones
microphone even if the phone was off, he claimed.
Other programmes used by GCHQ were nicknamed
Tracker Smurf and Dreamy Smurf , which allows phones to
be switched on and off remotely, Snowden said.
He said the text message sent by GCHQ to gain access to the
phone would not be noticed by its owner.
Its called an exploit, he said.
When it arrives at your phone, its hidden from you. It
doesnt display. You paid for it but whoever controls the software
owns the phone, he added.
The BBC said the government had declined to comment in

line with usual policy on intelligence matters.
but talks broke down , with pilots saying the plan amounted to an
effective pay cut.
Snowden, who has been charged by the US with espionage

and theft of government property after leaking documents to the
media about digital espionage, has been living in exile in Russia
since June 2013.
The French government, which owns a 17.6-percent stake,

has criticised the pilots hard-line stance in the past.
The British government is planning legislation that would

give more powers to intelligence agencies to monitor online
activity to investigate crime.
Officials at the French employers federation MEDEF were

appalled at the scenes and said they would harm Frances
reputation. It is really terrible for the company and for the
country, a MEDEF source said, asking not to be named.
Spectators to a crash
AIR FRANCE OFFICIALS ATTACKED

BY WORKERS PROTESTING JOB CUTS
Air Frances human resources manager had his shirt
stripped from his body, as he was almost lynched by workers
protesting a plan to cut 2,900 jobs from the struggling airline.
Bosses were unveiling a revamped restructuring plan after
pilots rejected an earlier proposal to work longer hours. But the
board meeting had to be abandoned when hundreds of striking
workers stormed into the airlines headquarters at Charles de
Gaulle airport outside Paris.
Human resources manager Xavier Broseta was almost
lynched, according to one union delegate, and had his shirt
ripped off as he clambered over a wire fence to escape, helped by
security guards. Another executive, Pierre Plissonnier, who is
responsible for the long-haul flight division, had his shirt and
jacket torn in the scrum.
CEO Frederic Gagey also made a hasty exit, and the board
said the meeting would not resume.
Seven people were hurt, including a security guard who was
knocked unconscious and required hospital treatment, Air
France said.
Nothing justifies violence
The management condemned the physical violence, and
said it would file complaints to the police. Prime Minister
Manuel Valls, on a visit to Japan, said of the events: The
company is in a difficult situation, but nothing justifies such
attacks.
The loss-making airline, which employs 52,000 people, is
struggling in the face of fierce competition from global rivals. It
had tried to convince pilots, who earn up to 250,000 euros
($280,000) a year, to fly 100 more hours a year for the same salary,
Four unions announced a strike to coincide with the

meeting. It was not clear how many staff were taking part, but the
airline said flights would be unaffected beyond some check-in
delays. Not all staff support the pilots, who also led a record-long
strike a year ago that cost the company nearly half a billion euros.
Ground staff, stewards and hostesses feel they have made
enormous efforts without ending up in a position to influence
decisions, Beatrice Lestic, of the CFDT union, told Le
Parisien newspaper.
They are now spectators to a crash in which they will be the
first victims, she said.
Seeking to sharpen its competitive edge against main
European rivals Lufthansa and British Airways-Iberia, the
managements new proposals include ending five long-haul
routes, reducing the frequency of other flights, and selling 14
planes over the next two years. Although the company says it
favours voluntary departures, Gagey has indicated compulsory
redundancies may be necessary for the first time to increase
productivity.
Sources at the meeting said the plan includes the possibility
of dismissing 300 pilots, 900 air hostesses and stewards, and
1,700 ground staff. The company has already shed 5,500 posts
via voluntary departures between 2012 and 2014 as it battled
competition from low-cost carriers and Gulf airlines.
Pilots were also behind a record-long two-week strike in
September 2014, which knocked 416 million euros off turnover
and was described as catastrophic for the French aviation
sector in a joint statement from unions.
The striking pilots oppose the expansion of Air Frances lowcost subsidiary Transavia.
Air France, which merged with Dutch national carrier KLM
in 2004, is trying to make 1.8 billion euros of savings over two
years. A source said that as part of its cost-cutting plan, Air

France is to enter into discussions about cancelling all or some
of the Boeing 787s it has on order. The airline ordered 25 of the
787-9 Dreamliners in 2011.
The source said: We are going to contact our suppliers from
tomorrow to ask them if possible to cancel the scheduled
delivery of the 787 planes.
Discussions will be opened and they could end in
cancellations that are our approach.
SUDAN EXPECTS TO HIT RECORD

GOLD PRODUCTION IN 2015
Sudan said it expects to produce 80 tonnes of gold in 2015, its
minister of minerals said, topping last year's record-high
production in the war-torn African nation.
"In the first three quarters of the year, we produced about 72
tonnes so we are on track for our target of producing 80 tonnes
for 2015," Sudan's Minister of Minerals Osheik Mohamed Taher
told a mining conference in Dubai.
Gold mining is an important part of government efforts to
keep the economy afloat after losing three quarters of its oil
production the main source of state revenue and dollars
needed to pay for imports when South Sudan split off in 2011
THAILAND DESERVES UNSC SEAT: PM

PRAYUT CHAN-O-CHA
Thailand deserves a non-permanent seat on the UN
Security Council (UNSC) because of its role in UN missions,
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said. We have a good
reputation because of our role in UN operations, especially in
peacekeeping and security, the Prime Minister said during a
briefing.
70th session of the UN General Assembly, which ended on

September 30, had reconfirmed a message to the international
community that a roadmap to democracy remained unchanged
despite delays in the new constitution. If the new charter is
ready, new elections will be held. Its up to the constitution
process, not to me, he added.
LATIN AMERICA AN EMBLEM OF

EMERGING MARKETS' SPUTTER
After a decade of strong economic growth, Latin America
and especially its powerhouse Brazil are sputtering, a symbol of
the slowdown in emerging markets worldwide as commodity
prices slide.
The region will be in the spotlight soon in the near future, as
the International Monetary Fund and World Bank hold their
annual meetings in Lima, Peru bringing together finance
ministers and central bank chiefs from around the world.
They will discuss a global economy that is stuck in a rut and
badly missing the emerging markets boom that salvaged world
growth during the 2008-2009 crisis.
With the exception of India, the emerging markets are now
struggling, led on a downward plunge by long-time growth
engine China.
Latin America, where some 56 million people exited poverty
during a "golden decade" of growth, has been hit hard by the
slowdown.
"Latin America is arriving (to the meetings) in a vulnerable,
delicate situation," said Peruvian economist Jorge Gonzalez
Izquierdo, the country's former labor minister.
"An economic slowdown, rising inflation and increasing
currency devaluation, with the risk of people returning to
poverty and a vulnerable middle class, is in offing."
Thailand is competing for the seat with a two-year term in

the Asia-Pacific quota at the council from 2017-18. The vote on
the new five non-permanent members will take place in
September 2016.
The IMF's new global growth forecast, which it will publish

soon, and a statement from the G20 finance ministers made
recently, will likely reflect the reigning pessimism on emerging
markets.
The last time the Thailand was on the UNSC was in 198586. Prayut said he was confident Thailand would be elected,
adding lobbying would soon begin.
In Latin America, the poster child for the downward trend is

Brazil, the region's largest economy and the world's seventh,
which has gone from emerging giant to basket case in five years.
He also claimed to have already received backing from other

ASEAN members for the seat. His visit to New York to attend the
The country entered recession in the second quarter and

recently had its credit rating downgraded to junk status by
Standard & Poor's.
Brazil has relied too heavily on iron ore, soybeans, oil and
other commodities to drive its growth, failing to diversify or save
for a rainy day, critics say.
Other Latin American oil producers like Mexico, Colombia

and Ecuador are also being pummeled.
Now that a slowing China's demand for commodities has

fallen, the 7.5-percent growth Brazil's economy posted in 2010
has collapsed into a contraction that the government says could
last through 2016, becoming the longest recession since 1931.
The region "needs to launch a transition toward a new

growth model that depends less on commodities and more on
other sectors of the economy, such as productivity and
investment," said Alejandro Werner, director of the IMF's
Western Hemisphere department.
It is not alone in the region.

Latin America has long relied on its natural resources to
drive growth, cycling from boom to bust as global prices
fluctuate.
"Latin America's greatest problem is that when it has the
means it doesn't do much with them. The countries in the
region only act when they're in crisis," said economist Pedro
Tuesta, a Latin America specialist at Washington-based
consultancy 4CAST.
Latin America's growth will come in at 0.5 per cent this year,
its lowest in six years, led by contractions of 1.5 per cent in Brazil
and 5.5 per cent in Venezuela, predicts the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, a United
Nations panel.
"Smaller economies in the region like Peru, Colombia and
Chile are more resilient, but not immune, because they are
slowing and are also dependent on commodities," said Alberto
Ramos, Latin America research chief at Goldman Sachs.
Chile, the world's top copper producer, is particularly
exposed to the slowdown in China, the destination for 25 per
cent of its copper output.
With the region in slowdown and the United States poised to
raise interest rates for the first time since 2006, Latin American
currencies have taken a beating in recent months, making
imports more expensive and fueling inflation.
The worst case is Venezuela, which has not published its
official inflation statistics in months, but where experts say the
annual figure is likely more than 100 percent, which would be the
highest in the world.
Venezuela, which holds the world's largest proven oil
reserves, has been devastated by crude prices that have plunged
from around $120 a barrel in June last year to less than $50 now.
SOUTH KOREA CALLS MORE CHECKS AGAINST MERS

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn called for
tighter monitoring to detect possible Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS) patients. The number of South Koreans
visiting the country is also expected to rise in line with religious
events to be held in Saudi Arabia, Hwang said, urging tighter
scanning of passengers for fever and other MERS symptoms at
major airports. The MERS outbreak claimed 36 lives in South
Korea earlier this year, the second largest infection outside
Saudi Arabia, Yonhap news agency reported. South Korea
declared a de facto end to the MERS outbreak on July 28, about
two months after its first case was reported on May 20. MERS is a
viral disease that is still fairly new to humans. No vaccine or
treatment is currently available for the disease, which has a high
fatality rate of around 36 percent globally. In South Korea, the
fatality rate of the disease remains at 19.4 percent
POPE FRANCIS PREPARES FOR HISTORIC

ADDRESS TO US CONGRESS
Fresh from enrapturing crowds all over Washington, Pope
Francis is bringing his message of humility and hope to Capitol
Hill as he becomes the first pontiff in history to speak to a joint
meeting of Congress.
Lawmakers of all political backgrounds and religious
affiliations have been thrilled to the Popes arrival, pledging to
pause from the bickering and dysfunction that normally divide
them and hear him out. Tens of thousands of spectators will be
watching from the West Lawn of the Capitol and many more on
TV from around the world as the Pope addresses a House
chamber packed with Supreme Court justices, Cabinet officials,
diplomats, lawmakers and their guests.
After the sergeant at arms announces him by bellowing Mr.
Speaker, the pope of the Holy See, Francis will enter the
chamber and climb to the dais where the president delivers the
annual State of the Union address and monarchs and heads of
state have addressed Congress. Behind him will sit

Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John
Boehner of Ohio, the first and second in line to the
presidency, both Catholics.
Ahead of Francis remarks lawmakers of both
parties have busily sought political advantage from
his stances, with Democrats in particular
delighting in his support for action to overhaul immigration laws
and combat global warming and income inequality. One House
Republican back-bencher announced plans to boycott the
speech over Francis activist position on climate change, which
the pontiff renewed alongside President Barack Obama.
But Boehner, a Republican and a former altar boy who
invited the pope to speak after trying unsuccessfully to lure the
two previous pontiffs to the Capitol, has dismissed concerns that
the politically engaged Francis will stir the controversies of the
day.
The Pope transcends all of this, Boehner said. He appeals
to our better angels and brings us back to our daily obligations.
The best thing we can all do is listen, open our hearts to his
message and reflect on his example.
For Congress and Boehner, the Pope arrives at a moment of
particular turmoil, with a partial government shutdown looming
next week unless lawmakers can resolve a dispute over funding
for Planned Parenthood related to the groups practices
providing foetal tissue for research. Boehner himself is facing a
brewing revolt from tea party members whove threatened to
force a floor vote on whether he can keep his job.
Francis is certain to steer clear of such controversies, though
his opposition to abortion could bolster Republicans in their
efforts against Planned Parenthood. And for members of
Congress, his visit may prove little more than a brief respite from
their partisan warfare, offering moments of unusual solemnity,
uplift and pomp, but without fundamentally shifting the
intractable gears of the US political system.
Indeed theres little sign on Capitol Hill of significant action
on the social justice issues dear to Francis heart. But the Pope
said simply that in addressing Congress I hope, as a brother of
this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to
guide the nations political future in fidelity to its founding
principles.
Francis enjoys approval ratings the envy of any

US politician as hes single handedly remade the
image of the Catholic Church toward openness
and compassion, yet without changing
fundamental church doctrine. Addressing a
chamber full of elected officials, he may be the
most adept politician in the room.
After speaking in the House chamber Francis will visit the
Capitols Statuary Hall and its statue of Father Junipero Serra,
the 18th-century missionary whom Francis elevated to
sainthood Wednesday in the first canonization on US soil. He
will then briefly step out onto a Capitol balcony to address the
crowds on the West Front. From there he will stop at St. Patricks
Catholic Church and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese
of Washington, and then depart for New York for more prayer
services and a speech to the United Nations.
For Francis, its been a whirlwind three-day visit to
Washington, the first stop on his three-city US tour. He was
cheered by jubilant crowds as he visited the White House,
paraded around the Ellipse and spoke to US bishops at the
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Francis emphasized one
of the defining messages of his papacy, to focus less on
defending church teaching and more on compassion. The pope
told the American church leaders that harsh and divisive
language does not befit the tongue of a pastor and he
encouraged them to speak with anyone, no matter their views.
In his first comments in the US on the clergy sex abuse
scandal that erupted in 2002, the pope praised the bishops for a
generous commitment to bring healing to victims and for
acting without fear of self-criticism.
An organisation for abuse victims quickly disagreed.
Almost without exception, they have shown cowardice and
callousness and continue to do so now, said Barbara Dorris,
President of SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by
Priests.
Later, Francis celebrated a Mass of Canonization for
Junipero Serra in Spanish. Several thousand of the 25,000 tickets
to the event were set aside for Spanish-speaking people, many
from California, where Serra did his work. The Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception erected a
temporary sanctuary outdoors for the Mass, which lasted into
the evening.
Current Events
Business and economy

SHILPA SHETTY-RAJ KUNDRA COMPANY
TO LAUNCH MOBILE PHONE
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra
have entered the consumer electronics space and the couple is
set to launch a new range of mobile phones named after their son
Viaan.
The co-promoters of the tainted IPL team Rajasthan Royals
have entered the electronics business through the BSEand
Calcutta Stock Exchange-listed Hindusthan Safety Glass
Industries (HSGI), in which they acquired the majority stake 25.75% each -a few months ago. The couple is now planning to
shift the company's registered office to Mumbai. It is learnt that
the total acquisition cost could not be more than Rs 2 crore.
HSGI, now almost defunct, supplied safety glass to Hind Motors
and its fortunes took a beating along with that of the automakers.
Inducted into the board of HSGI in September, Kundra, at the
company's September 28 AGM, had said, "Most likely, the
mobile phone will be launched on November 25," according to a
shareholder who attended the AGM.
The company said the new promoters are planning to enter
the consumer electronics business through their experience
and contacts in the industry . All the registered brands of Viaan,
Viaan Mobile, V Tab, V Power, V-TV will be sold in India and
exported to key demand destinations like the UAE, CIS
countries, Europe and the US. "There will also be a pan-India
service centre network to focus on after sales," it stated.
Kundra, as a director of the company, said in a statement to
the exchange, "There are hundreds of consumer durables to
choose from but few that can tick all the boxes, at the same time
providing value for money. Our aim is to give our customers a
balanced level of quality service and value in consumer
electronics space."
HSGI was incorporated

in 1982 in Burrabazar area of
Kolkata for manufacturing
and marketing safety glass
by the Jagdish Agarwal
family .The company now
has a single-room office on
the AJC Bose Road. An
employee at the office said it will soon have a big corporate office
in Mumbai.
OBAMA JABS AT CHINA AS HE DEFENDS TPP TRADE DEAL

US President Barack Obama took a dig at China, as he
defended the new TPP Pacific Rim free-trade deal, which
excludes Beijing.
In his weekly address to the nation, Obama said the 12country accord concluded this week after five years of
negotiations features the strongest labor and environmental
standards in history, which he said will level the field in
international trade.
Once approved by all the signatories, the TPP could be the
largest regional trade pact ever.
"Without this agreement, competitors that don't share our
values, like China, will write the rules of the global economy,"
Obama said.
"They'll keep selling into our markets and try to lure
companies over there, meanwhile they're going to keep their
markets closed to us," the president added.
Spanning about two-fifths of the global economy, the TPP
aims to set the rules for 21st century trade and marks one of
Obama's key diplomatic and economic achievements.
He hopes it will encourage investment and press China to

shape its behavior in commerce, investment and business
regulation to TPP standards.
But the deal has faced opposition from activists, who argue it
favors big business over consumers and governments, and US
Congressional leaders have already expressed reservations even
before the details have been released.
Hillary Clinton, who as Secretary of State under Obama
promoted the negotiations aimed at sealing the TPP and is now
the Democratic frontrunner in the race for the 2016 presidential
election, has come out against it.
Clinton said that given what she knows about the deal, it falls
short of her "high bar" for creating American jobs, raising wages
and advancing US national security.
Under the deal, 98 percent of tariffs will be eliminated on
everything from beef, dairy products, wine, sugar, rice,
horticulture and seafood through to manufactured products,
resources and energy.
35 per cent as against 50

per cent earlier, according
to the global financial
services major.
This is likely to help
the banks to price housing
loans better and generate
higher returns, it said, adding this is likely to provide upside to
our expected home loan growth of 18-20 per cent. The RBI said
that in the case of individual housing loans falling under the
loan category of up to Rs. 30 lakh, the LTV ratio is now up to 90
per cent. For properties above Rs.30 lakh and up to Rs.75 lakh,
the LTV is up to 80 per cent and those above Rs.75 lakh, the ratio
comes in at 75 per cent.
This means banks can now provide home loans up to 90 per
cent for properties that cost Rs. 30 lakh or below, RBI said.
Earlier, the facility was available only in cases where the cost was
up to Rs.20 lakh.
The move will benefit those home seekers who plan to buy
properties in the range of Rs.20-30 lakh.
Countries involved are the US, Canada, Japan, Australia,

Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore
and Vietnam.
The RBIs decision comes in the wake of all major banks

reducing interest rates post the central banks policy rate cut.
RBIS NEW NORMS TO BOOST HOUSING

LOAN MARKET: BOFA-ML
HC RESTRAINS GLENMARK FROM

SELLING ANTI-DIABETES DRUGS ZITA, ZITA-MET
The Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) new norms on individual

housing loans is expected to give a strong fillip to the housing
loan market in India, says a Bank of America Merrill Lynch
report.
The RBI released fresh norms on Loan-to-Value (LTV)
ratios and risk weights for individual housing loans.
We expect the new guidelines to give a strong fillip to the
housing loan market in India, BofA-ML said, adding that banks
having a large share of housing loans in their portfolios are likely
to benefit from the move.
As the RBI has raised the minimum home loan size to Rs. 3
million from Rs. 2 million, this will attract a lower risk weight of
In a relief for U.S. drug major Merck Sharp and Dohme, the
Delhi High Court restrained Indian firm Glenmark
Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing and selling its antidiabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met.
Injunction allowed, Justice A.K. Pathak said. He added
that the U.S. drug major shall be entitled to actual cost of the
proceedings.
In view of the finding returned on the above referred issues
defendant is restrained by decree of permanent injunction from
making using, selling, distributing, advertising, exporting,
offering for sale or dealing in Sitagliptin phosphate
monohydrate or any other salt of Sitagliptin in any form, alone or
in combination with any other drug thereby infringing patent of
plaintiff [MSD], the court said.
Earlier, in an interim order, a Division Bench of the High

Court had restrained Glenmark from making or selling its drug,
used for treatment of Type-2 diabetes.
CHINA PINS FAITH ON ELECTRIC CARS AND

HIGH-SPEED TRAINS TO REVIVE SLOWING ECONOMY
The Bench had, however, on Glenmarks oral plea to allow it

to sell its goods already in the market, clarified that it may sell
such of the products which are already in the market i.e in
possession of its distributors and retailers.
China has plans to accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicles

as the vanguard of its innovation based new normal economy to
combat the slowdown in its low-tech manufacturing and drop in
exports.
However while granting the injunction, the High Court did

not say anything about the sale of existing stock.
Chinas State Council or Cabinet wants one million green

cars to hit the domestic market by 2020. Over the next five years
after that, market share should jump to 80 per cent, when three
million electric vehicles are produced, according to plans.
CHINA'S FOREX RESERVES CONTINUE TO

DECLINE FOR FOURTH MONTH
China's foreign exchanges reserves, the largest in the world,
continued the declining trend for the fourth month falling to
$3.51 trillion last month while the gold
reserves too decreased amid the
economic slowdown.
The forex reserves decreased by
$43.26 billion in September, marking
the fourth consecutive month of decline, said People's Bank of
China, the country's central bank.
China's foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.51 trillion at the
end of September, it said.
But the September decrease was not as sharp as in August.
The reserves dropped by a record $93.9 billion in August
following the nearly four per cent devaluation of Chinese
currency, causing concern over sudden dip in the reserves,
which were accumulated in the last few decades when China
emerged as major exporter.
The ambitious shift away from conventional fuels follows the

Made in China 2025 campaign. Unveiled in May this year, it
aspires to transform the face of the Chinese economy, by moving
in the direction of innovation based hi-end production and
services, buttressed by a growing appetite for domestic
consumption.
In pursuit of this domestically-driven economy, Beijing has
already issued guidelines that would ensure rapid absorption of
the new eco-friendly vehicles.
Local governments are being directed to ensure that more
than 30 per cent of the vehicles in their order list are fired by new
energy. Penalties for non-compliance are painful. Provincial
governments, which deviate from the new norms, risk losing
subsidies on fuel and operating expenses. Among the new
purchases, the share of green-energy vehicles should rise to 30
per cent.
While encouraging usage of electric vehicles, authorities
have a formidable task of providing battery-charging posts,
which will make the shift from hydrocarbons unproblematic.
China, the world's second largest economy, is currently

trying to ramp up its domestic consumption in order to halt the
slowdown.
Its like with phone chargers, its a bit all over the place,
said Zheng Zhajie, Deputy Head of the National Energy
Administration. Everyone has a pile of different chargers and a
pile of batteries. Now were trying to improve things, moving
towards unifying and standardising, he told the State-run
Xinhua news agency.
Also the country's gold reserves fell from $61.795 billion at

the end of August to $61.189 billion at the end of September as
China shed its gold reserves impacting the global gold prices.
Apart from electric and hybrid-vehicles, nine other core

items feature on the futuristic Made in China list. High-speed
railways are one among them. If everything goes according to
The decline started as exports continue to fall resulting in

slowdown of the economy which is hovering around 7 per cent.
plan, China should capture almost one-third of the global

market by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2025. Hong Kong media is
reporting that the Chinese are in talks with 30 countries for
developing rapid rail systems.
to $350 billion by 2025, according to a report by Nasscom and

McKinsey.
After signing a deal in the U.S. to construct the Los Angeles

to the Las Vegas high-speed corridor, the Chinese are now
expected to pitch for the London-Birmingham-York line in
Britain a country that President Xi Jinping is expected to visit
shortly, following his recent visit to the U.S. Analysts say that
Chinese have become frontrunners in the high-speed railway
business because they offer quality at a lower price tag. It is
estimated that the Chinese charge $17 million per km for a highspeed train running at 350 km per hour. In comparison,
European companies prices are anywhere between $25 million
and $39 million per km.
The industry is well on track for growth. There is a

continued progression of double digit growth despite expansion
of base. But below the calm waters, there is a lot of churn
happening as well and companies will have to do a lot of things to
address the challenges as well, Nasscom President R.
Chandrashekhar said.
The Chinese have also identified information technology as

another domain for significantly expanding their footprint. The
State-run China Daily is reporting that planners want Chinese
servers to capture 90 per cent of the domestic market in the
finance and telecommunications sectors within a decade. It
quotes analysts as saying that this would further squeeze the
markets of overseas vendors such as IBM Corp. and HewlettPackard Co. The daily pointed out that IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
Cisco Systems Inc. and many other technology giants are feeling
the pain from a tightened grip on data security standards and
checks.
Other priority areas, to shift the economy to the next level,
include manufacture of computer numeric control (CNC)
machines, robots, bio-medicine, aerospace industry, ocean
engineering and shipping.
The poor manufacturing numbers along with the
turbulence in the stock market have added urgency to the
proposed economic reforms. Chinese manufacturing shrank for
the second successive month in September. In late August, the
stock market had nosedived to record lows, drawing
international focus on the future of the Chinese economy.
The industrys size is currently pegged at $132 billion.
He added that these challenges range in nature, from

geopolitical to regulatory to the need for innovation and
disruption. Spurred by the governments Digital India initiative,
the domestic technology market is also expected to grow rapidly
to over $70 billion in 2025 from $34 billion in 2014-15.
Digital India initiatives will catalyse growth of the domestic
marketGovernment departments have committed more than
$16 billion to the program for example, special initiatives to
drive smart cities, defence, National Optical Fibre Network,
the report stated.
The report Perspective 2025: Shaping the Digital
Revolution added that the industry created over 5.5 million
direct and indirect jobs in the last decade and the next $100
billion of revenues will likely add 1.2-2 million more people to
the industry.
Talking about regulatory challenges, Nasscom Chairman
BVR Mohan Reddy said issues with taxation and difficulties
around starting and exiting businesses are some of the
impediments faced by businesses, especially in the technology
sector.
INDIA MAY SELL EXTRA GOVERNMENT BONDS

TO FOREIGN INVESTORS VIA AUCTION
TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES MARKET TO

TOUCH$350 BILLION BY 2025
India is likely to sell extra government bonds made available

for foreign institutional investors recently through an auction
rather than on demand as of now, a senior official with direct
knowledge said.
The Indian technology and services market is on track to

reach its goal of $250 billion by 2020 and is likely to grow further
The Reserve Bank of India said that it would gradually

increase the limits it sets for foreign investors buying
government debt by up to 1.2 trillion rupees ($18.37 billion) by

March 2018.
Under Indian rules, government debt is usually sold via
auction rather than "on tap" for most foreign investors once
they use more than 90 percent of the total debt limits. Foreign
institutional investors have already used up almost their entire
$25 billion allocation of government debt.
"Given that the amount utilized is above 90 per cent," said
the official, "the limits will be sold on auction basis."
In a first step, India will increase debt limits for the category
of investors composed of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) by
55 billion rupees ($842.11 million), starting on October 12,
2015.
FIIs, which include several kinds of investors like mutual
funds, pension, insurance funds, hedge funds, central banks
and banks typically account for the overseas investments into
India.
NTC INFRINGED ON ITC'S BRANDS: HC

In a victory for ITC, the Bombay high court stubbed out
competition from NTC after holding that the smaller rival
company, prima facie, infringed on the cigarette major's 'Gold
Flake' and 'Honey Dew' trademarks.
The HC judgment was on an interim plea made by ITC in
May last year against NTC for trademark and copyright
infringement. The company had got an ex parte ad-interim
relief, which was vacated, by consent, last July. Justice Gautam
Patel, who heard the clash between the cigarette makers, had
reserved it for judgment last October. When he pronounced it on
September 29, he gracefully began with a "mea culpa" and
sought 'forgiveness' from both sides and their lawyers, Ravi
Kadam for ITC and Janak Dwarkadas for NTC, for the year-long
delay.
ITC claimed copyright in artistic work of a label "Gold Flake
Kings Red' and its registered trademarks Gold Flake, Honey
Dew and Honey Dew Smooth, which it said was violated by NTC
with its National Gold Flake and Honey Drop marks.
The HC found no merit in

NTC's defence that Honey
Drop "is purely descriptive and
no question of infringement
arises", or its claims of prior use
since 1965, though it sought
registration in 2014. The judge
looked at both packets, their
similar 'gold' colour, the same colour combination of gold, red
and black, identical placement of words and said, "Is NTC's label
a slavish imitation of ITC's?". The conclusion: "There is only
one possible answer: Yes. Is there an explanation for it? Again, in
a word: No."
The usual tests that apply in such a case is the probable view
of the prospective purchaser, and his inability to readily tell one
from the other. "The words 'Gold Flake' and 'Honey Dew' seem
to me to typify ITC's products, and having regard to the various
elements in the label mark, and to the manner in which the mark
is subsumed in NTC's 'National Gold Flake', I have no manner
of doubt as to the deceptive similarity," said the judge as he
restrained the Kolkata-based company from "flooding the
market with its rival products" as it would cause a loss to ITC.
Especially considering neither are premium brands of
smokes, said the judge, and are sold "not in swish boutiques but
by vendors in makeshift roadside stalls with nothing more than a
couple of wooden crates and a portable open rack, often selling
paan, boiled sweets and other such items as well."
Rejecting NTC counsel Dwarkadas' arguments of the word
'national' causing a distinction as being "casuistry", or clever, but
unsound reasoning, the judge said, "The typical purchaser is
more than apt to ask for, simply, Gold Flake, and I doubt that his
vendor will trouble himself to enquire whether he wants just
Gold Flake or National Gold Flake or to invite the purchaser to
browse, sniff the tobacco aroma and extol the virtues, such as
they are, of the rival products. I am also aware that these
products are not always sold in entire packets: Purchasers ask for
a 'single', or just a few, and the vendor, wiping paan-stained
fingers on a discoloured cloth of dubious hygiene, will flip open a
box and flick out two sticks, and then nod to a lighter, match box
or oil lamp placed there for convenience," aptly describing the
scene of a smoker stopping to pick up some 'smokes' in a metro
like Mumbai or Kolkata.
CAR INDUSTRY 'BURIED REPORT REVEALING US CAR

SAFETY FLAWS OVER FEARS FOR TTIP DEAL'
The motor industry has been accused of withholding a
report that reveals US cars are substantially less safe than
European vehicles - for fear that the findings would hamper the
drive to harmonise safety standards as part of the controversial
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal.
The major study was commissioned by the car industry to
show that existing EU and US safety standards were broadly
similar.
But the research actually established that American models
are much less safe when it comes to front-side collisions, a
common cause of accidents that often result in serious injuries.
The findings were never submitted - or publicly announced
- by the industry bodies that funded the study. Safety
campaigners have said the research showed that trade
negotiators would potentially be putting lives in danger by
allowing vehicles approved in the US to be sold in Europe and
vice-versa.
The news casts a further shadow over a global industry
already in the spotlight following the recent Volkswagen
emissions scandal.
The Washington-based Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers (AAM) sponsored the research, announced in a
joint press release last year alongside the European car lobby
ACEA and the American Automotive Policy Council.
The auto giants represent the industry's biggest names from
Chrysler and Toyota to Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen.
Independent experts from the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute and the SAFER
transportation research centre at Chalmers University of
Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, carried out the study. They
are two of the leading traffic safety research centres in the world.
Experts in France and at the UK's Transport Research
Laboratory were also involved.
"ACEA remains confident that regulatory convergence can
be achieved in TTIP while maintaining the current high level of
safety performance in both

the EU and the US," the
spokesperson said.
The investigation was
announced to great fanfare
last year: Robert
Strassburger, AAM Vice
President for vehicle safety, said it might be the most ambitious
and complicated research effort the trade group has
commissioned in the field of auto safety.
The industry wanted to use the findings to help TTIP
negotiations aimed at harmonising vehicle safety standards on
both sides of the Atlantic. Under current rules, cars sold
globally, such as the Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf, must still be
re-engineered multiple times - at considerable expense to
manufacturers - to satisfy crash-test standards around the
world. The lobby groups pre-empted the results saying "our
standards may differ in some modest ways, but the ones that
we're looking at harmonizing are essentially equivalent".
The report's findings, however, pointed to substantial
differences in performance. Of particular concern to safety
groups is the finding that passengers in a typical EU model are
33 per cent safer in front-side collisions, an accident that often
results in serious injury, than those in a typical US model.
However none of the car lobby giants published a response to
the findings, which have now been quietly posted on the
University of Michigan's website.
Co-author Andras Balint, Traffic Safety Analyst at Chalmers,
told the Independent: "The results of our study indicate that
there is currently a risk difference with respect to the risk of
injury given a crash between EU specification cars and US
models.
"Therefore, based on these results, immediate recognition
of US vehicles in the EU could potentially result in a greater
number of fatalities or serious injuries in road traffic. The
potential impact is difficult to quantify because it depends on a
number of other parameters."
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), the
independent organisation that advises the European
Commission and the European Parliament on road safety, said

the research was an important warning that vehicle safety
standards cannot be included in TTIP at this stage. It called for a
halt to proceedings so further analysis could be carried out.
The council's executive director Antonio Avenoso said:
"This study shows that EU and US trade negotiators would
potentially be putting lives in danger by allowing vehicles
approved in the US to be sold in Europe and vice-versa. What's
needed is an open and transparent process for getting both sides
up to the highest level of safety across all vehicles. Clearly
without much more research and analysis, including vehicle
safety standards in the TTIP agreement would be
irresponsible."
The next formal round of TTIP negotiations begin next
month, with the proposed free trade deal set to become the
biggest such deal ever made.
The motor vehicle sector will probably the biggest
beneficiary: harmonisation of auto regulations across the
Atlantic could bring over 18 billion per year for the European
Union and the United States economies, a study by the US
think-tank Petersen Institute of International Economics
revealed this year.
Earlier, a spokesman for the US Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, which led the way in commissioning the study,
said: "There is much credit to be given for the historic efforts
made in this study, and we fully support the methodology for
comparing and analyzing U.S. and EU crash environments and
vehicle performance.
When initiating this study, it was understood that
harmonizing and reconciling the differences in the current U.S.
and E.U. crash datasets would be challenging. Significant
progress has been made but the results reveal areas where
further analysis is needed. We look forward to working with
[academics] and both governments to identify enhancements."
A spokesperson for ACEA, its European equivalent, said:
"[our] examination of the study results has revealed areas where
additional research is needed before accepting results with data
constraints in isolation."
The lobby group called for additional efforts to harmonise
the US and EU accident databases to improve the reliability of

the study. "ACEA remains confident that regulatory
convergence can be achieved in TTIP while maintaining the
current high level of safety performance in both the EU and the
US," the spokesperson said.
INTEREST SUBVENTION SCHEME SOON

TO BOOST EXPORTS
The Union Government is expected to come out with an
interest subvention scheme soon to boost exports.
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry,
Nirmala Sitharaman, said that the reasons were clear for the fall
in exports.
The global demand was not picking up and the government
was interacting with every sector to understand the intervention
measures that each sector would want.
Continuing efforts
So, the efforts of the government are continuing and will
continue even further. We are trying to address sector by sector
as each sector has its own unique circumstances.
The Government would soon come out with an interest
subvention scheme and it was awaiting Cabinet clearance, she
said.
On pulses, she said it was assessed by the Government of
India. We have looked at the situation which was developing in
terms of pulses.
Increase in prices
This season, the initial monsoon was good and acreage
under sowing of pulses had increased. But, the outcome of it was
not known now. For immediate requirement, there was a
shortfall which had resulted in increase in prices.
A decision was taken to make necessary imports for pulses
that were in need. Some consignments had come and some were
coming. This was expected to bring down the prices and the
supply would be sufficient, she said.
Samsung struggles to regain

smartphone market share
ore than a year into the overhaul of its smartphone

lineup, Samsung Electronics has yet to find a way to
reverse a slide in market share or margins, clouding
its growth outlook and fuelling investor impatience.
The world's largest handset maker is recently forecast to
guide for its first annual increase in quarterly profit in two years
following a dismal third quarter in 2014, but profits and mobile
margins are expected to contract on a sequential basis.
Samsung has tried various fixes for its phone business. At
the lower end it launched new products targeting markets such
as India, while at the high end it switched from plastic to metal,
introduced curved screens and cut the price for its flagship
Galaxy S6 devices after sales fell short of high expectations in the
second quarter.
While those measures have lifted Samsung from its earnings
trough, they have not been enough to regain market share from
Apple at the high end and Chinese markers at the lower end, or
convince investors that the company is back on track for
sustained growth.
MOBILE WOES
A Thomson Reuters SmartEstimate poll of 30 analysts tips
Samsung's July-September operating profit to have risen 64% to
6.7 trillion won, marking the first pickup since a record profit in
the third quarter of 2013.
"Samsung is at a standstill," said Kim Hyun-su, fund

manager for IBK Asset Management. "It's having trouble finding
a way to create new demand for its smartphones."
Smartphone makers other than Apple are finding it tough to

compete on any basis besides price, as new hardware features
can be quickly matched by rivals. Samsung lacks service or
software offerings that can pique consumer interest and not
easily be replicated, a problem it hopes its recently launched
Samsung Pay service can help address.
The South Korean electronics giant's stock trades at a

forward price-to-book ratio of 0.9 -- the lowest since 2002,
according to Thomson Reuters data. It is under pressure again
to return some of a cash pile of 61.8 trillion won ($53 billion) as
of end-June through dividends or share buybacks.
Brokerage HMC Investment expects Samsung's mobile

division's operating margin fell to 7.7% in the third quarter from
10.6% in April-June. Though overall phone shipments likely
rose, the brokerage says the greater share of lower-end products
and price cuts for the Galaxy S6 models weighed.
a
7 out of every 10 Indians

are vitamin deficient
e all know how important vitamins are

for our existence. However, a recent
study raises alarming concerns over
the vitamin levels of Indians.
According to a study conducted by
Metropolis Healthcare on Vitamin D, Vitamin
B12 and Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) to observe the
deficiency and sufficiency of vitamins within the
inhabitants across India, 75% of population has
shown alarming levels of deficiency.
Commenting on the study Dr. Sonali Kolte,
General Manager, Medico Marketing said, "Indians have a
lethargic attitude towards Vitamins. Vitamin deficiencies
usually develop slowly over several months to years. Symptoms
of Vitamin D deficiency are usually vague muscle/joint pain,
weakness, bone pain, tiredness, fatigue or even depression.
Nowadays it is observed that people who are deficient in Vitamin
D are more likely to have diabetes, regardless of how much they
weigh. Early diagnosis and treatment can help control the
symptoms and prevent health related problems."
In an analysis of over 14, 96,683 patients who underwent
Vitamin tests, it was found that
q 81.28% of all samples tested were deficient in Vitamin D.
q 21.02% of all samples tested were deficient in Vitamin
B12.
q 15.06% of all samples tested were deficient in Vitamin B9.
VITAMIN D
your muscles, heart, lungs and brain work well and

that your body can fight infection. They are vital for
everyone and ensure that your body works well and
is able to fight illness and heal well. Vitamin D
manages calcium in your blood, bones and gut and
helps cells all over your body to communicate
properly.
SOURCES OF VITAMIN D
Your body can make its own vitamin D from
sunlight. You can also get vitamin D from
supplements and a very small amount comes from a few foods
you eat.
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
It weakens bones, and causes rickets, tooth decay, kidney
stones, muscle weakness and poor absorption of calcium.
Most common reason to have deficient levels of vitamin D is
due to limited sunshine exposure.
VITAMIN B12
Vitamin B12 regulates the functions of the brain and nervous
system. It also plays an important role in the formation of blood.
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic proportions in

India despite ample sunshine. Vitamin D is unique because it is
a vitamin synthesized by the body and it functions as a hormone.
The common symptoms are weakness, apathy, memory loss,

acidity, loss of weight, nausea and vomiting, anemia, mental
confusion, delusions, paranoia, respiratory symptoms, hives and
other symptoms of allergy. A long-term deficiency can lead to
heart attacks or stroke.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT?
SOURCES OF VITAMIN B12
Vitamin D is important for overall good health and strong

and healthy bones. It's also an important factor in making sure
The important sources of Vitamin B12 are mostly animal

products like meat, fish, poultry, eggs and also dairy items. Pure
vegetarian diet may result in Vitamin B12

deficiency which is becoming common amongst
Indians.
or folic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is part of the B vitamin family.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT?
Vitamin B9 (folic acid) is vital for several bodily functions, such as

synthesis of DNA, RNA, to repair aiding rapid cell division and growth, to
produce healthy red blood cells. It is important for pregnant women to have
enough folic acid to prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine
(neural tube defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly). It enhances
brain health, folic acid supplementation may improve memory.
Vitamin B12 is also used to treat memory loss;

Alzheimer's disease; boosting mood, energy,
concentration and the immune system; and
slowing aging. Vitamin B12 also helps our bodies
absorb folic acid, which facilitates the release of
energy. The risk of B12 deficiency increases along
with your age. Elderly people with low-vitamin B12
are more likely to suffer from brain shrinkage and
cognitive decline.
VITAMIN B9
Vitamin B9 is more commonly known as folate
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Signs of vitamin B9 deficiency are generally indicated by headache,
nausea, and irritability. They are accompanied by fatigue, acne, sore tongue,
and cracks at the corner of the mouth. At an advanced stage, it can also include
loss of memory, restricted growth of the brain and nerves, paranoia,
weakness, and skin cracking. Other common signs are loss of appetite,
inflamed tongue, gastrointestinal problems, and diarrhea.
Bug reveals how popular you are on Facebook

A bug that infected Facebook's mobile website let users see view counts for their own
and others' posts throughout the social network, The Verge reported.
Similar to how Facebook displays the number of views under videos posted on its site,
this bug lets users see the number of views on any article or video link, including those from
news media and other official organization's pages.
The bug, discovered by some users recently, only affects Facebook's mobile site, and
not Facebook for desktop or the company's official mobile apps.
Facebook said it was removing the view counts from user posts. The changes should already be taking effect. The view
counts display only under shared or posted links and sometimes under photos, and it is unclear if the metrics are entirely
correct.
Facebook has no future plans to let individual users see view counts.
A study done by Stanford University researchers and Facebook's data science team in 2013 revealed that the average
Facebook user only reaches about 35% of their friends with a single post.
Many have invested heavily in growing the number of likes on their page. But only Facebook holds the keys to the
enigmatic News Feed, that is until a bug comes along and we see just how popular we really are.
SC seeks response on levy of

pollution compensatory charges
upreme Court has asked the centre and Delhi

government to positively respond to a plea seeking levy of
'pollution compensatory charges', along with toll tax, on
commercial vehicles plying in the national capital, with the chief
justice and a senior lawyer observing that they and their kin too
were victims of the alarming pollution levels.
"My grandson wears mask due to pollution," chief justice H
L Dattu said when senior advocate Harish Salve submitted that
he had to take steroid for the first time a few days ago.
"My wife has asthma. My daughter has asthma and I had to
take steroid first time two days back," Salve said.
"This is a serious issue. We will take up this matter on
Thursday. We want positive response," a bench of the CJI and
Justices Arun Mishra and Adarsh Kumar Goel said.
NCR (EPCA) and said a large number of commercial vehicles

opt Delhi and NCR roads, instead of the highways, as it is
cheaper to traverse through the capital city.
Seeking enforcement of principle of Environment Law that

the polluter has to pay, Salve, who is the amicus curiae in a 1985
PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta, termed the situation
as "alarming" and sought urgent intervention before it worsens
further due to onset of winter.
The apex court has now asked Solicitor General Ranjit

Kumar, appearing for the centre and the counsel for the Delhi
government and civic agencies to come prepared on Thursday
when it will take up the fresh plea filed by Salve.
The court, which has usually been critical of reporting of its

observations during the proceedings, today said, "this is one
case where newspapers should report as to what transpired in
the court during the hearing."
Earlier, it had agreed to hear the plea seeking directions for

the Centre, Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of
Delhi to ensure that "commercial vehicles entering the city of
Delhi are required to pay a sum of not less than Rs 600 (for LCV
and 2-axle) and not less than Rs 1200 (for 3-axle and above).
Salve, during the hearing, referred to the report of the

Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority for
"This pollution compensatory charge will be imposed in

addition to the toll charge imposed by MCD," the plea had said.
a
Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, the

biggest threat to internet, signed
n agreement that some campaigners have

called the "biggest global threat to the
internet" has just been signed, potentially
bringing huge new restrictions on what people can
do with their computers.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the
conclusion of five years of negotiations, and will cover 40% of the
world's economy. Its claimed purpose is to create a unified
economic bloc so that companies and businesses can trade more
easily but it also puts many of the central principles of the
internet in doubt, according to campaigners.
One particularly controversial part of the provisions make it a
crime to reveal corporate wrongdoing "through a computer
system." Experts have pointed out that the wording is very vague,
and could lead to whistleblowers being penalized for sharing
important information, and lead to journalists stopping
reporting on them.
Others require that online content providers such as
YouTube and Facebook must take down content if they
receive just one complaint, as they are in the US. That will be
harmful for startups looking to build such businesses since
they'll be required to have the resources to respond to every
complaint, experts have pointed out.
In 2013, when the partnership was still being discussed, the
Electronic Freedom Foundation called TPP "one of the worst
global threats to the internet." The changes are dangerous
because to unify the various countries in the partnerships' rules
on intellectual property and other internet law, they are opting to
take the US' largely very restrictive rules.
"The TPP is likely to export some of the worst features of US
copyright law to Pacific Rim countries: a broad ban on breaking
digital locks on devices and creative works (even for legal
purposes), a minimum copyright term of the lifetime of the
creator plus seventy years (the current

international norm is the lifetime plus fifty
years), privatization of enforcement for
copyright infringement, ruinous statutory
damages with no proof of actual harm, and
government seizures of computers and
equipment involved in alleged
infringement," wrote Katitza Rodriguez and Maira Sutton.
The changes could also lead to huge new rules about
surveillance.
The providers could be required to "police" user activity (ie
police YOU), take down internet content, and cut people off
from internet access for common user-generated content,"
writes Expose The TPP, a campaign group opposing the
agreement.
As well as imposing strict rules on those on the internet,
activists point out that some of the parts of the agreement could
limit central parts of the internet and modern computers. A
restriction on breaking "digital locks" for instance which is
meant to allow companies to control their products even after
they have been bought by customers could stop disabled
people from making important changes to their computers or
using different technology.
The agreement has been made in secret and will not be fully
published publicly for years.
Tech experts wrote to the US Congress in May to demand
more transparency about the agreement.
"Despite containing many provisions that go far beyond the
scope of traditional trade policy, the public is kept in the dark as
these deals continue to be negotiated behind closed doors with
heavy influence from only a limited subset of stakeholders," they
wrote.
Tips to fight obesity

and lose weight
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besity is one of the most serious risk

factors and medical conditions
behind most lifestyle diseases today;
it is eating into the young and old alike.
Our eating behaviour, job environment and
social life - all, drastically affect our propensity
to gain weight; of course lack of self control and
an increasing dependence on fast foods and
refined, processed sugar-heavy foods doesn't help either.
Sedentary jobs, and sedentary living have led to obesity lurking
at every corner. But how do you differentiate weight gain and
obesity? And how do you fight obesity? Let's get these questions
answered on obesity, and prevent and fight obesity with these
tips on how to lose weight.
Heart disease
Respiratory disorders
Infertility
Cerebrovascular diseases like
stroke, heart attacks, blood clots.
TIP #3 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE

WEIGHT: ACCEPT THE TRUTH
Calculate your weight and consult your doctor if your BMI is
greater than 30kg/m2. He will suggest ways to fight obesity and
surgery in case of morbid obesity. The doctor will also conduct
tests to estimate the damage of obesity on your health. This
implies that the doctor will screen you for the above mentioned
TIP #1 TO FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT:

UNDERSTAND WHAT OBESITY IS...
lifestyle diseases and ascertain the health problem.

The toughest thing is accepting the truth about your weight,
'Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has

accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on
health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased
health problems. People are considered obese when their body
mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a
person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height
in metres, exceeds 30 kg/m2.' (As mentioned on Wikipedia)
TIP #2 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: UNDERSTAND

THE LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND OVERALL HEALTH.
There are several health problems that can affect your health
if your BMI is more than 30kg/m2.
To name a few:
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Type 2 Diabetes
High blood pressure
no amount of clothing will hide it. Secondly find friends who can
help you stay on track to your goal to shed the kilos, like a support
group.
TIP #4 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: MAKE A PLAN

You need a plan to help you fight obesity step by step. It is also
wise to jot down your diet throughout the day. This will help you
outline the amount of calories you consume in a day and how to
reduce it.
Get professional help, join a gym and find a good trainer. He
will help you with the right exercises and help you prevent
injuries. He will also suggest a good diet. But you can also
consult a nutritionist or dietician to help you plan your diet.
It is important to set attainable goals and put them up in a
place that get's your attention - like the

television or the computer.
without a chance of burning calories. It

increases calories, increases the chances
that your child will gain weight. Packaged
juices also contain unnecessary sugar that
pumps up your blood sugar level.

WEIGHT: EXERCISES FOR WEIGHT
LOSS
Strength training and interval training
are exercises that will ensure healthy, quick and effective weight
loss. Arnav Sarkar, the fitness expert says, "When it comes to
training, you don't need to do 20 exercises in each workout, and
neither do you need to spend 45 minutes on the treadmill."
He says "Besides the regular strength training exercises like
lunges, push ups, rows, etc, some athletic activities like
sprinting, burpees, kickboxing, jumps, etc too will help to burn a
lot of fat. The only thing is that if you are very overweight and
have severe joint issues then these dynamic exercises could be
dangerous for you. In that case stick to the exercises with low
joint impact like push ups, squats, overhead presses, rows, etc
along with a good diet to see results."
TIP #6 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: DIET FOR

WEIGHT LOSS
The key to healthy living is to eat every two hours a light meal
or every four hours if you consume heavy meals. Consume water
at regular intervals and avoid oily, salty and sugary meals.
It is important to consume 5 servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables daily. The fibers in fruits and vegetables aid in the
digestion and ensure your body gets the required nutrients.
Include a vegetable with every meal if possible.
To lose weight and fight obesity, it is important to boost your
metabolism. Proteins are the biggest stimulator to lose weight.
These childhood habits create bad

eating habits into adulthood which
adversely affects the waistline of an
individual. But it also increases the chances that the child will be
susceptible to childhood obesity. An obese child is not exempted
from lifestyle diseases, hence it is vital to change your child's
eating habits.
TIP #8 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: BE ON THE

MOVE
Be active. Get going, whenever you can. Don't let your job
chain you to your desk all day. Get up, go for short walks, get
some fresh air every two hours or so. It will improve your
circulation and avoid the flab from piling up. Also try to walk
small distances like to the grocery store, to the station, to the bus
stop etc.
TIP #9 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: BREATHE

RIGHT
How many of us really pay attention to the way we breathe?
Hardly anyone! It is about time you started paying attention to
this tiny but vital function and start doing it right. The right way
according to yoga experts is to expand your diaphragm as you
inhale and push it in as you exhale. Paying attention to the way
you breath will help you beat stress, which can play a major spoil
sport in your weight loss plan.
TIP #10 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: TV VIEWING

A CAUSE OF OBESITY
TIP #7 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: AVOID

DRINKING JUICES AND MILK BEFORE BED
This is a big mistake that parents make; parents often give
their children milk in bed. This act only increases calories
Talking about foundation of lifestyle behaviours being

established as early as pre-school, a study found that nearly half
of obese children ate dinner in front of the TV more than three
times a week.
The study, led by Louise Hardy, from the

University of Sydney School of Public Health,
also showed not many parents realise their
children have a weight problem.

WEIGHT: REASONS FOR EATING
You may love food, but why do you really
eat? A regular person would feel satiate beyond
a point but not you. What could be the reason?
Solve this puzzle to solve the puzzle of your
obesity.
The study of more than 1,200 children

aged up to five years found almost a third of
obese children had a TV in their bedrooms, the
journal Preventive Medicine reported.
More than 60 per cent of both healthy and overweight
children were rewarded for good behaviour with sweets, while
more than one-fifth of overweight and obese children did not eat
breakfast, according to a Sydney statement.
Seventy per cent of parents of overweight kindergarten
children thought their child was the 'right weight' and 30 per
cent of the parents of obese children thought their child was the
right weight.
Most of us tend to face the problem of emotional eating. But

how can we fight this inner emotional eater within each of us?
- The key lies in relishing food and eating slowly, instead of
fearing it and running away from it.
- An emotional eater should breakthrough from the lovehate relationship with food.
- Fight the greater inner turmoil of food.
The researchers concluded that the foundation for many

lifestyle behaviours is already established by the time children
enter school.
TIP #11 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: SLEEP WELL

Sleep well and sleep right. Your body needs to recover and
regenerate itself after a long working day. You need to give it
enough time for that. Seven-eight hours of sleep every night is
essential. Sleeping lesser or more could lead to accumulation of
fat. So make sure you get enough rest. Who knew sleep can help
you lose weight!
TIP #12 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: BE

CONSISTENT
What ever be the exercise regime you take up to support your
weight loss plans- swimming, running, yoga or squash, be
consistent with it. This will take a lot of will power and some cooperation from your loved ones. But, being consistent with your
weight loss workout regime will do you good in the long run. Vary
the kind of workout you do every few months or weeks, but do not
skip sessions except for on rest days.
TIP #14 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: HEALTHY

COOKING
Your kitchen can make or break you depending on what you
stock and how you prepare the ingredients. There are different
methods and ways to cook the healthy way, and none of these
methods will give you bland hospital meals.
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Grilling
Baking
Steaming
Stir fry
Saute
Poaching
Pressure cooking
TIP #15 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: CONSIDER

YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK
If one person becomes obese, those closely connected to
them have a greater chance of becoming obese themselves.
Interestingly, it is observed that if obesity runs in your family it
becomes even more difficult to break the obesity rut

and follow a healthy lifestyle. Do understand that if
your social circle comprises unhealthy people, you are
more impacted by negative and unhealthy factors in
your life.
Eat empty calories. Eating empty calories like

biscuits or snacking on empty calories that do not
satisfy you in anyway, needs conscious effort. Snack
on healthy, filling snacks instead.
TIP #16 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT:
run the risk of losing muscle if you focus only on
Do only cardio. While cardio is important, you
WHICH DIET SHOULD YOU PICK?

Weight loss diets, or more importantly - weight management
diets, recieve a lot of flack for being bland, boring and sparse.
This is not true. Actual and healthy weight loss involves a lot of
eating, albeit this eating is limited to healthy foods. When
fighting obesity, your first step should be to limit or altogether
ban unhealthy junk foods that are highly processed and high in
cereal carbs and fats.
As long as you eat lean protein, good fats, and complex carbs
in a good proportion to your weight goals, you will be healthy and
so will your weight.
cardio and not on strength training. It is therefore advisable to

mix your workouts in order to get the best of both worlds. If your
workout plan involves just running, swimming, or walking, it's
best if you throw some yoga, and weight training into the mix too.
If you're eating right, then this will be invaluable in building
muscle, which in turn burns fat faster.
TIP #19 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: STRIKE A

BALANCE
Remember: When planning for weight loss, it pays to be
patient. You are not going to lose weight overnight. So don't be
discouraged and don't punish your body if you don't see instant
results. Starving yourself or putting in overtime at the gym is
TIP #17 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: PORTION
never the answer. It will only lead to exhaustion, fatigue and will
CONTROL
eventually lower your immunity. In fact, you will benefit a lot if

you take breaks in between your routine workouts. And
Eat healthy food that you love, and what is convenient to

prepare. Just eat less of it. No matter what you eat, if you eat too
much of it, your body is going to store it. If you go out for lunch
with a fit and healthy friend, do observe his or her eating habits.
You will notice that she eats until she's full and happily pushes
the plate away when done. If you habitually eat long after your
stomach's full and how, it's time to start working on portion
control.
TIP #18 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: WHAT NOT

TO DO...
occasionally, treating yourself to a piece of chocolate or a slice of

pizza will not do any harm to your weight loss plans.
TIP #20 FIGHT OBESITY AND LOSE WEIGHT: MAKE IT A

MISSION
Staying motivated to get healthy and fight obesity till it stops
being a health concern for you, is easier said than done. You will
face many obstacles along the way. Obese friends and family will
tell you not to bother, that it is okay to be overweight. Know and
understand that you are doing this for your health and not for
vanity or any other flippant reason.
Starve. Instead, eat food rich in protein, complex carbs

(including salads and fruits), and good fats for energy. Eating
right, eating so that you are not hungry, and eating food that is
nourishing is important so that you lose fat.
Remind yourself of the health implications of high

percentage body fat and stick to the goals and plans you outlined
at the beginning of the journey.
Samsung is finally seeing a revival,

and smartphones are not the reason
nvestors have punished Samsung Electronics this year for

its struggles against Apple and Chinese makers. They just
gave it a $13 billion vote of confidence.
Shares surged the most in more than six years as a revamped

smartphone lineup and a renewed focus on components gains
traction. Earnings jumped 80% in the September quarter,
beating estimates and snapping a streak of seven consecutive
declines.
After climbing to the top of the global smartphone market,
Samsung came under siege from iPhones at the premium end of
the market and inexpensive devices from Xiaomi that won over
budget consumers. While the South Korean company
responded by investing billions of dollars in semiconductor and
display factories to supply its rivals, analysts cut earnings
estimates and helped drive the stock toward a third straight
annual slide.
"Today's surprise results show those blue days are finally over
and lend support to the market that it's about time to give
Samsung another look," said Peter Yu, an analyst at BNP Paribas
SA in Seoul. "Analysts will now have to revise up their estimates,
and it's been a while since they've done that."
After the recent rally, Samsung shares closed at 1,251,000
won in Seoul, increasing its market value by 14.7 trillion won
($13 billion). That cut the company's loss in market
capitalization this year by more than half.
Revenue rose about 7.5% to 51 trillion won in the quarter, the
Suwon-based company said. Samsung didn't provide net income
or details of division earnings, with audited results scheduled for
later this month.
CHIP EXPANSION
The decline in the South Korean currency has helped
Samsung, which sets prices for most components in US dollars
and gains a benefit when those sales are translated back into
won. The US dollar was about 11% higher against the won at the
end of the quarter compared with a year earlier.
Earnings from semiconductors, a business that supplies
Samsung's own devices and those of competitors including
Apple, probably rose 54% to about 3.5 trillion won in the quarter,
according to the median estimate of six analysts surveyed by
Bloomberg News.Samsung, which is spending 15.6 trillion won
on a new plant in South Korea, said last month it wants to expand
the logic, or processing, chips business to add to its leading
position in memory. The company opened a new semiconductor
research-and-design center in Santa Clara, California, last
month.
"The time has come to reassess the value of the company's
component sectors," said Lee Jae Yun, an analyst at Yuanta
Securities Korea Co. "The third-quarter results threw a good
signal that the two-year-long earnings downturn has finally

ended."
Analysts expect profit in mobile devices rose 24% to 2.2
trillion won, the first year-on-year increase in seven quarters.
Samsung released the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Note 5 in
August, beating new iPhones to the market by about a month.
They debuted after lackluster sales of the premium Galaxy S6
prompted price cuts and a $120 rebate to customers buying on
installments or a leasing plan.
Samsung shipped about 81 million phones in the third

quarter, according to the analyst survey. The company shipped
72 million units in the previous quarter.
"The result was a surprise and the biggest help was its
component businesses," said Song Myung Sup, a Seoul-based
analyst at HI Investment & Securities Co. "The chips and display
units outperformed the product divisions, largely helped by the
weaker Korean won."
Nasa completes heat shield

testing for future Mars vehicles
Nasa has successfully completed key heat shield tests for the future
exploration spacecrafts that will scout the Red Planet for signs of life.
Nasa's Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) is a
mechanically-deployable heat shield concept using carbon fabric a flexible heat
shield that expands to "open" like an umbrella.
Recently, engineers at Nasa's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley,
California successfully completed heating simulation testing of an ADEPT model
under conditions akin to entering the Martian atmosphere.
During the tests, the surface temperatures on the test article reached 1,704 degrees Celsius.
Extensive instrumentation and imaging products from the test will be used to validate how materials respond to the
testing conditions, the US space agency said in a statement.
The testing approach demonstrated with this test will enable future, more extensive testing of the ADEPT configuration
- toward possible future use of the system on missions bigger than anything Nasa's ever flown.
As Nasa missions to Mars progress with science and complex human exploration missions, spacecraft will require larger
heat shields to protect against the extreme heat of entering a planet's atmosphere and decelerating at a safe altitude in the
thin Martian atmosphere.
Today's rockets have limited space to accommodate spacecraft and their heat shields.
Cure for cancer might

accidentally have been found
cientists might have accidentally made a huge step

forward in the search for a cure for cancer discovering
unexpectedly that a malaria protein could be an effective
weapon against the disease.
Danish researchers were hunting for a way of protecting
pregnant women from malaria, which can cause huge problems
because it attacks the placenta. But they found at the same time
that armed malaria proteins can attack cancer, too an
approach which could be a step towards curing the disease.
Scientists have combined the bit of protein that the malaria
vaccine uses to bury into cells and combined it with a toxin
that can then bury into cancer cells and release the toxin, killing
them off.
The scientists have found that in both cases the malria
protein attaches itself to the same carbohydrate. It is the
similarities between those two things that the cure could exploit.
The carbohydrate ensures that the placenta grows quickly.
But the team behind the new findings have detailed how it serves
the same function in tumours and the malaria parasite
attaches itself to the cancerous cells in the same way, meaning
that it can kill them off.
Scientists said that they had been searching for a long time
for a way to exploit the similarities between the placenta and the
tumour.
"For decades, scientists have been searching for similarities
between the growth of a placenta and a tumor," said Ali Salanti
from University of Copenhagen. "The placenta is an organ,
which within a few months grows from only few cells into an
organ weighing approx. two pounds, and it provides the embryo
with oxygen and nourishment in a relatively foreign
environment. In a manner of speaking, tumors do much the
same, they grow aggressively in a relatively foreign
environment."
The process has already been tested in cells and on mice

with cancer, with the findings described in a new article for the
journal Cancer Cell. Scientists hope that they can begin testing
the discovery on humans in the next four years.
The biggest questions are whether it'll work in the human
body, and if the human body can tolerate the doses needed
without developing side effects," said Salanti. "But we're
optimistic because the protein appears to only attach itself to a
carbohydrate that is only found in the placenta and in cancer
tumors in humans."
In the tests on mice, the animals were implanted with three
different types of human cancers. It reduced non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma tumours to about a quarter of their size, got rid of
protstate cancer entirely in two of six mice and kept alive five out
of six mice that had metastatic bone cancer compared to a
control group all of which died.
"We have separated the malaria protein, which attaches itself
to the carbohydrate and then added a toxin," said Mads
Daugaard, a cancer researcher at Canada's University of British
Columbia and one of the scientists that worked on the research.
"By conducting tests on mice, we have been able to show that the
combination of protein and toxin kill the cancer cells.
First nano-satellite
functional: Nasa
A miniature satellite sent in the space aboard an Atlas V
rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California very
recently is working fine, Nasa has announced.
The Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration
(OCSD) CubeSat spacecraft is in orbit and operational, said
Nasa and The Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, California.
CubeSats are going to play a key role in exploration,
technology demonstration, scientific research and educational
investigations.
They provide a low-cost platform for Nasa missions,
including planetary space exploration, Earth observations,
fundamental Earth and space science.
"Technology demonstration missions like OCSD are driving
exploration," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the
Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA
headquarters in Washington, DC.
"By improving the communication capability of small
spacecraft to support data-intensive science missions, OCSD
will advance the potential to become a more viable option for
mission planners," he said in a statement.
CubeSats also allow an inexpensive means to engage
students in all phases of satellite development, operation and
exploitation through real-world, hands-on research and
development experience.
OCSD is the first in a new series of six Nasa-managed
technology demonstration missions set to be launched during

the coming months using CubeSats.
These will test technologies that can enable new uses for
these miniature satellites which measure about four inches per
side.
OCSD differs from other space-based laser communication
systems because the laser is hard-mounted to the spacecraft
body, and the orientation of the CubeSat controls the direction
of the beam.
This makes the laser system more compact than anything
previously flown in space.
The CubeSat will evaluate the ability to point a small satellite
accurately as it demonstrates data transfer by laser at rates of up
to 200 mb per second -- a factor of 100 increase over current
high-end CubeSat communications systems.
The second OCSD mission is scheduled to be launched in
February 2016.
MP govt mulls automated meters

for electricity consumers
f things go well, power consumers of the state

will have automatic meters where no manual
meter reading will be required. It will lead to
speedy delivery of bills to users besides, saving
discoms of manual work involved in it.
However, officials said the process is still in
infancy and will require time and lots of checks and
cross-checks before being implemented.
Managing director of Madhya Pradesh Power
Management Company, Sanjay Shukla said, "As of now we have
invited four companies, which deal in automated meters to
demonstrate their functioning."
"There are a lot of things which will have to be cross-checked
and worked out, like integration of communication
technologies, ensuring no tampering is done when meters are
not being checked manually," Shukla said.
"After we are satisfied with the companies, it will be sent to
Central government agencies for certification and depending
upon it will a call be taken to implement it," he said.
Madhya Pradesh electricity regulatory commission is likely
to approve Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission
(Smart Grid) Regulations, 2015 which deal with these issues.
Commission has already published its, draft which reads,
'Objectives of these regulations are to enable integration of
various smart grid technologies and measures to bring about
efficiency, improvement in generation, transmission and
distribution licence operations, manage the transmission and
distribution networks effectively, enhance network security,
integrate renewable and clean energy into the grid and micro
grids.'
Automated metering infrastructure is also among the
indicative component of Smart Grid projects, as per the
MPERC's draft of the regulations.
MP to get Rs 1,500 crore ADB grant for skill development
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to give around
Rs 1,500 crore for skill development in Madhya

Pradesh. "ADB has cleared our proposal for grant
of Rs 1,500 crore for skill upgrade in the state," MP
technical and higher education minister
Umashankar Gupta said recently.
He said that 906 Industrial Training Institutes
(ITIs) were operational in the state. Gupta said
with the help of NABARD loan, 96 ITIs with an
investment of Rs 189.11 crore are to be set up.
"We are developing infrastructure in skilling," the minister
said, adding, steps are underway to develop ITIs by Public
Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
In 86 out of 313 blocks in Madhya Pradesh, there is neither
any government nor private ITI, he said.
"Efforts are underway to establish ITIs in these areas in PPP
mode as per the policy of the department," the minister said.
Asked whether the state government has changed the name
of Vyapam (Vyasayik Pariksha Mandal) or MP Professional
Examination Board (MPPEB) to Professional Examination
Board (PEB) as mentioned on the Vyapam office signboard, he
said that it was not the right time to speak on the issue.
Govt withdraws over 1.50 lakh cases from courts in MP
Madhya Pradesh government has withdrawn 1.84 lakh cases
registered under different sections of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) in the past 10 years in an effort to reduce the burden on
courts.
"In order to reduce burden on courts that are flooded with a
large number of cases, over a lakh petty cases have been
withdrawn, so that courts can devote more time in the disposal of
serious cases," state home minister, Babulal Gaur, stated.
From 2004 to August 2015, state government after a
thorough review of pending court cases has decided to withdraw
1,84,257 cases, Gaur said.
The government has decided to withdraw cases related to IPC

section 294 (obscene acts and songs), 279 (rash driving or riding on a
public way), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 336 (act endangering life
or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act of endangering
life or personal safety of others, 341 (wrongful restraint).
The other cases include - offences of wrongful confinement,
criminal trespass, house trespass, criminal intimidation, theft,
forgery for purpose of harming reputation lodged under relevant IPC
sections.
Besides, the government has also decided to consider

the withdrawal of cases (registered under IPC) in which
punishment is not more than three years, he said.
The minister informed that as a part of the drive, a
total of 48,994 cases were withdrawn in Indore division,
35,551 in Bhopal, 24,344 in Ujjain, 19,300 in Jabalpur,
13,709 in Sagar, 12,782 in Gwalior, 9,166 in
Narmadapuram, 9,081 in Chambal, 6,116 in Rewa and
5,214 in Shahdol division.
Sneezing monkey, 'walking' fish

found in Himalayas: WWF
A monkey that sneezes when it rains and a "walking" fish are among more than 200
species discovered in the fragile eastern Himalayas in recent years, according to
conservation group WWF.
WWF has compiled a survey of wildlife discovered by scientists across Bhutan,
northeast India, Nepal, north Myanmar and southern Tibet in a bid to raise awareness
of the threats facing the ecologically sensitive region.
The species include what the WWF described as a blue-coloured "walking snakehead fish", which can breathe air,
survive on land for four days and slither up to 400 metres (a quarter of a mile) on wet ground.
Others include an ornate red, yellow and orange pit viper that could pass for a piece of jewellery, a fresh-water "dracula"
fish with fangs and three new types of bananas.
In the forests of northern Myanmar, scientists learned in 2010 of a black and white monkey with an upturned nose that
causes it to sneeze when it rains.
On rainy days they often sit with their heads tucked between their knees to avoid getting water in their snub noses.
The 211 new species discovered between 2009 and 2014 include 133 plants including orchids, 26 kinds of fish, 10
amphibians, 39 invertebrates, one reptile, one bird and a mammal.
In its report, WWF warned of a series of threats to the species including population growth, deforestation, overgrazing,
poaching, mining and hydropower development.
Just 25 per cent of the region's original habitats remain intact, and hundreds of species are considered to be globally
threatened, the report released this week said.
"The challenge is to preserve our threatened ecosystems before these species, and others yet unknown, are lost," said
Sami Tornikoski, who heads the WWF Living Himalayas Initiative.
The report calls for more sustainable development in the region, singling out a need for greener hydropower plants and
government assistance for communities to adapt to climate change.
Nature thrives in Chernobyl,

site of worst nuclear disaster
ome 30 years after the world's worst nuclear accident

blasted radiation across Chernobyl, the site has evolved
from a disaster zone into a nature reserve, teeming with
elk, deer and wolves, scientists said recently.
The remarkable turnaround in the area, which was declared
a permanent no-go zone for people after the accident in 1986,
suggests radiation contamination is not hindering wildlife from
breeding and thriving, but underscores the negative impact
humans have on populations of wild mammals.
"When humans are removed, nature flourishes - even in the
wake of the world's worst nuclear accident," said Jim Smith, a
specialist in earth and environmental sciences at Britain's
University of Portsmouth. "It's very likely that wildlife numbers
at Chernobyl are now much higher than they were before the
accident."
After a fire and explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant in 1986 threw clouds of radioactive particles into the air,
thousands of people left the area, never to return.
Smith and co-researchers took the opportunity to see what
happens to wildlife in an area where contamination is heavy but
people are largely absent.
Earlier studies in the 4,200 square kilometer (1,600 square
miles) Chernobyl Exclusion Zone showed major radiation
effects and pronounced reductions in wildlife populations.
But new evidence, based on long-term census data, shows
that mammal populations have bounced back.
The study found a relative abundance of elk, roe deer, red
deer and wild boar with population rates similar to those

found in four designated, and uncontaminated, nature reserves
in the region. The number of wolves living in and around the
Chernobyl site is more than seven times greater than can be
found in comparable nature reserves.
And helicopter survey data also reveal rising trends in the
abundance of elk, roe deer, and wild boar from 1 to 10 years after
the accident.
"These unique data showing a wide range of animals thriving
within miles of a major nuclear accident illustrate the resilience
of wildlife populations when freed from the pressures of human
habitation," said Jim Beasley of the University of Georgia in the
United States, who co-led the work.
The results, published in the journal Current Biology, may
also hold lessons for understanding the potential long-term
impact on wildlife of the more recent Fukushima nuclear
accident in Japan, the researchers said.
Nehru's niece Nayantara Sehgal

returns Sahitya Akademi award,
protests rising intolerance
minent author and niece of Jawaharlal Nehru,

Nayantara Sehgal on Tuesday returned the Sahitya
Akademi award in protest against increasing
intolerance towards right to dissent in the country and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the "reign of terror".
Sehgal, who received a Sahitya Akademi award in 1986 for
her English novel 'Rich Like Us (1985)', said, "The ruling
ideology today is a fascist ideology and that is what is worrying
me now. We did not have a fascist government until now ... I am
doing whatever I believe in."
Citing various incidents of killings of writers and rationalists
including MM Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, she alleged,
"Rationalists who question superstition, anyone who questions
any aspect of the ugly and dangerous distortion of Hinduism
known as Hindutva - whether in the intellectual or artistic
sphere, or whether in terms of food habits and lifestyle - are
being marginalised, persecuted, or murdered."
Most recently, a village blacksmith, Mohammed Akhlaq, was
dragged out of his home in Bishada village outside Delhi, and
brutally lynched, on the supposed suspicion that beef was
cooked in his home, the 88-year-old author said in a statement.
"In all these cases, justice drags its feet. The Prime Minister
remains silent about this reign of terror. We must assume he
dare not alienate evil-doers who support his ideology. It is a
matter of sorrow that the Sahitya Akademi remains silent....
"In memory of the Indians who have been murdered, in
support of all Indians who uphold the right to dissent, and of all
dissenters who now live in fear and uncertainty, I am returning
my Sahitya Akademi Award," said Sehgal, who in the past also

strongly criticised imposition of the Emergency in 1975 by her
cousin late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
She told that "Modi is a politician who knows how to speak.
He has given long speeches. On twitter and other social media
he is vocal. He should be responsible for (what is happening) in
the country."
Referring to recent speech by Vice-President Hamid Ansari
reminding people about Constitution promises of 'liberty of
thought, expression, belief, faith and worship', she said, "He
found it necessary to do so because India's culture of diversity
and debate is now under vicious assault."
The author further added that under Modi's government,
"India is going backwards. It is rejecting our great idea of
cultural diversity and debate and it is narrowing down to an
invention called Hindutva.
3 share Nobel medicine prize

for new tools to kill parasites
hree scientists from the US, Japan and China won the
Nobel Prize in medicine today for discovering drugs to
fight malaria and other tropical diseases that affect
hundreds of millions of people every year.
The Nobel judges in Stockholm awarded the prestigious
prize to William Campbell, who was born in Ireland and became
a US citizen in 1962, Satoshi Omura of Japan and Tu Youyou the first-ever Chinese medicine laureate.
Campbell and Omura were cited for discovering avermectin,
derivatives of which have helped lower the incidence of river
blindness and lymphatic filariasis, two diseases caused by
parasitic worms that affect millions of people in Africa and Asia.
Tu discovered artemisinin, a drug that has helped
significantly reduce the mortality rates of malaria patients.
"The two discoveries have provided humankind with
powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that
affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the committee
said. "The consequences in terms of improved human health
and reduced suffering are immensurable."
River blindness is an eye and skin disease that ultimately
leads to blindness. About 90 percent of the disease occurs in
Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.
Lymphatic filariasis can lead to swelling of the limbs and
genitals, called elephantiasis, and it's primarily a threat in Africa
and Asia. The WHO says 120 million people are infected with the
disease, without about 40 million disfigured and incapacitated.
Campbell, 85, is a research fellow emeritus at Drew
University in Madison, New Jersey. Omura, 80, is a professor
emeritus at Kitasato University in Japan and is from the central
prefecture of Yamanashi. Tu, 84, is chief professor at the China
Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Campbell, a retired scientist who spent 33 years at

pharmaceutical company Merck and now lives in North
Andover, Massachusetts, said the award came as a huge
surprise.
"It was a great team effort by the people at Merck and
Company," Campbell said.
Omura wondered whether he deserved the prize.
"I have learned so much from microorganisms and I have
depended on them, so I would much rather give the prize to
microorganisms," Omura told Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Omura isolated new strains of Streptomyces bacteria and
cultured them so that they could be analyzed for their impact
against harmful microorganisms, the Nobel committee said.
Campbell showed that one of those cultures was "remarkably
efficient" against parasites in animals. The bioactive agent was
purified and modified to a compound that effectively killed
parasitic larvae, leading to the discovery of new class of drugs.
Tu turned to herbal medicine to discover a new anti- malarial
agent, artemisinin, that was highly effective against malaria, a
disease that was on the rise in the 1960s, the committee said.
14 elephants killed by cyanide

poisoning in Zimbabwe
ourteen elephants were poisoned by cyanide in

Zimbabwe in three separate incidents, two years after
poachers killed more than 200 elephants by poisoning,
Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
has said.
Three elephants were killed in Matusadona National Park in
the Kariba area in northern Zimbabwe and 11 more pachyderms
were found dead in two different spots in Hwange National Park
in western Zimbabwe over the past two weeks.
In all cases the elephants were killed by cyanide, according to
kidney and liver samples from the dead elephants tested by the
Biological Sciences Department, said parks spokeswoman
Caroline Washaya Moyo.
Anti-Poaching Project, a private organisation, according to its
In Kariba, poachers laced oranges with cyanide, she said,
while in Hwange the poison was put on salt licks.
The ivory tusks had been cut off six elephants at one location
in Hwange park but the other five elephants still had their tusks,
suggesting the poachers were disrupted. The motive for the
killings in Matusadona was not known. There have been no
arrests so far over the latest incidents, said Clement
Munoriarwa, police commander for Mashonaland West
province.
Facebook page, which said that more elephants may have been
poisoned.In 2013, as many as 300 elephants died in Hwange park
after poachers laced salt pans with cyanide. Many vultures died
after feeding on the poisoned elephant carcasses and it is feared
that will happen again. Cyanide is widely used in Zimbabwe's
mining industry and is therefore relatively easy to obtain.
Although elephants are vulnerable across Africa, Zimbabwe
has a large elephant population. The national parks estimates it
has more than 100,000, although the parks land should ideally
"We have had a number of poaching activities in the province,

they are actually increasing each day," said Munoriarwa on state
television. "Some are done through the use of firearms and, of
course, we have cases where we suspect that there is cyanide
poisoning."
A USD 400 reward for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of the poisoners has been offered by the Matusadona
only support 40,000 elephants.

Also today, a Zambian was arrested in Zimbabwe for trying to
smuggle ivory weighing 25 kilogrammes and valued at USD
6,320 into South Africa.
The Zambian was also found carrying a 3 meter python skin,
according to the national parks spokeswoman.
Amazon India is building an

army of 'cowboys' & 'Jeff bots'
inning marketshare in India is one

of Amazon's biggest challenges
right now.
It hit $1 billion in sales in India faster than it

has in any other geography, but continues to
face huge hurdles and growing competition.
Amit Agarwal, who leads Amazon's India
efforts, told Jay Greene at the Seattle Times that the company
has had to completely rethink its international expansion
strategy.
Part of that is building up a team of "cowboys" and "Jeff Bots"
who can move incredibly fast and improvise ways to work with
India's sometimes-haphazard infrastructure.
Agarwal recalls to Greene that when Jeff Bezos first saw his
original plan to win marketshare in India after it entered the
country in 2013, he thought it seemed too methodical and
precise.
"I don't need computer scientists in India," Bezos told
Agarwal. "I need cowboys."
Amazon's India employees need to be willing to dive into
uncharted waters. They need to come up with creative ideas and
be unafraid of untested execution methods.
"It's important for us to not think like computer scientists in
a very methodical, thorough, precise way, but to think like
cowboys where we're not afraid to take risks, where we're not
afraid to fire and then aim," Agarwal says.
If an employee comes to him and says that they can't do
something because of some constraint, Agarwal will tell that
person to go put their "cowboy" hat on, and figure out a way to
work around the problem.
For example, Amazon can't simply work

with a postal carrier to ship goods to
households from its giant fulfillment centers,
like it does with UPS in the United States, in
part because of crazy traffic and a vague
address system. Instead, Amazon has had to
build a bunch of spread-out "microwarehouses" that ship goods to smaller
distribution centers, where packages are then
either whisked off by motorcycle-driving
delivery-people or dropped off in bundles at local stores, where
customers can pick them up.
The company has also had to build a system for allowing
people to pay cash upon delivery, instead of by card when they
order online, because that's how many Indians prefer or require
it.
Besides being cowboys, Amazon India's employees should
be "Jeff bots," according to Agarwal. They need to be able to act
fast and with confidence.
The key, he believes, is to create an army of "Jeff Bots,"
workers who have so absorbed Bezos' business philosophy -codified in Amazon's 14 leadership principles such as "Have
Backbone; Disagree and Commit" and "Insist on the Highest
Standards" -- that they can enact it without hesitation.
"We are all Jeff Bots. At least, I am," Kumar said.
Last year, Amazon invested $2 billion in India, but the
company hopes the colossal effort will reap even bigger rewards.
India's e-commerce market is so attractive to Amazon as it's
growing like crazy. Right now, it has the third greatest number of
internet users in the world, after China and the United States,
and is similarly ranked in smartphone penetration. Researchers
expect the online shopping market in India to reach $15 billion
by 2016 up from only $35 million in 2014.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider
through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
Foods that fight

wrinkles and ageing
hen it comes to beauty,

Indian consumers are
more conscious than
boost your health. A study suggests

that anthocyanins in blueberries
appear to combat oxidative stress,
which is one of the main causes of
ageing.
ever
Ageing, dark spots, wrinkles,

and fine lines... these are the last
things that a person would like to
see on his or her skin.
No wonder, both men and
women are willing to shell out a
lumpsum to look good and are
going all natural in the process. According to experts, the secret
lies in the plate and that's precisely why what you eat matters the
most.
Food experts recommend people to opt for natural products
to maintain a youthful look in a healthy way. And when it comes to
these natural products, there are umpteen varieties to choose
from.
Here is a list of products that one could choose from to delay
the ageing process and to maintain that youthful look.
Ye l l o w a n d o r a n g e r o o t
vegetables: Put plenty of betacarotene on your plate. These
super-antioxidants are good for
your skin and eyes. Good choices
include carrots, sweet potatoes,
pumpkins, and squash.
Broccoli: Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant that is found in
broccoli, along with other foods including cranberries, onions,
and apples. It is a natural anti-inflammatory agent as well,
fighting the number two cause of aging. Broccoli sprouts have 30
times more isothiocyanates (yet another antioxidant) than
regular broccoli.
Raw, organic eggs: A single egg contains, nine essential
amino acids. It's rich in proteins and has naturally occurring
Vitamin D. Consuming your eggs raw is the best thing to do as
cooking destroys some of the highly perishable nutrients.
Leafy greens: Like eggs, leafy greens such as spinach, kale,

turnip greens, and romaine lettuce, are great sources of lutein
and zeaxanthin. Studies have shown eating foods rich in these
antioxidants can significantly reduce risk of AMD (age-related
macular degeneration), as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Spinach has a very high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance
Capacity) score. It is a measurement of a food's ability to destroy
the free radicals that cause damage in your body. The higher the
ORAC score, the better a food is for you.
Aloe vera: Aloe vera's anti-ageing properties have been

known for ages. Scientific evidence suggests that Aloe Vera juice
can heal skin and reverse skin ageing. Skin ages because of UV
light damage and loss of collagen in the skin. Collagen helps in
keeping the skin firm and elastic. Ageing breaks down the
collagen matrix in your skin which leads to wrinkles. Drinking
aloe vera juice is known to reduce the wrinkle depth and improve
skin elasticity due to increased collagen production.
Blueberries: These tiny berries are powerhouses of

nutrition. They are loaded with antioxidants, which stops
premature ageing and help prevent cancer. Wild blueberries also
Garlic: Allium is an antioxidant that packs a punch. Garlic,

onions, and scallions are loaded with this free-radical fighter
that is good for your skin and your immune system.
Hypertension rising
steeply in India
ith one in every three Indians

suffering from hypertension
and heart ailments responsible
for over 30 percent of deaths in the
country, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
are acquiring epidemic proportions in
India, warn experts.
"Hypertension is a silent killer; all the
comorbidities, whether heart problems,
brain stroke, kidney or stroke, are produced because of
uncontrolled blood pressure," Cardiological Society of India
(CSI) president and eminent cardiologist H.K. Chopra told
IANS.
According to a recent CSI survey that covered 200,000 people
across 24 states, one third of the country's population suffers
from hypertension - the main cause of comorbidities like heart
and brain strokes - and compounding the misery, a whopping 60
percent of them are unaware about the malady.
Raising a red alert about the steep rise in hypertension,
Chopra and other cardiologists blame faulty lifestyle, especially
the intake of salt well beyond the permissible limits, for the
proliferation of the malady that has been affecting the younger
generation with alacrity.
"It's a red alert for the country. Hypertension is rising very
steeply in India to the extent of 20 to 40 percent annually.
"The intake of heavy doses of salt is an enormous contributor
towards this widespread hypertension. Chips, wafers, snacks
and sauces - they have now become the young generation's
staple diet. Coupled with lack of physical exercise, wrong eating
habits have led to hypertension now reaching an alarming
proposition," said Chopra.
Cardiologist Rama Krishna - associated with New Delhi's
AIIMS - pointed to the large-scale unawareness among people
about risk factors of heart diseases.
"The most disturbing fact is that as

many as 60 percent of those having
hypertension are not at all aware that they
are suffering from high blood pressure.
Besides, 42 percent of the population
suffers from uncontrolled hypertension
despite medication," Rama Krishna told
IANS.
The study has also revealed that 25
percent of the people aged 31-45 suffer from undetected
hypertension.
Cardiologists attribute the high unawareness level to the
myth that hypertension and cardiovascular diseases affect only
the elderly.
"It's a widespread myth that hypertension and CVD affect
only the elderly. I myself have attended on several patients who
suffered a heart attack and are not even 30 years of age. In fact,
the grim situation across the country concerning hypertension
and CVD is only due to this myth," CSI general secretary Mrinal
Kanti Das told IANS.
"There is widespread lack of awareness and CVD is on the
verge of becoming an epidemic in the country. In 2014, more
than 30 percent of the deaths in India were due to heart-related
ailments. Unless immediate and elaborate steps are taken,
controlling the proliferation of the diseases will become near
impossible," said Das, attached to several city hospitals.
With India, along with 194 countries, pledging to reduce
premature mortality through non-communicable diseases
(NCDs) - including CVD - by 25 percent by 2025, cardiologists
say the focus needs to be on secondary prevention.
"If India has to achieve the 25/25 target, the main focus has to
be on secondary prevention of risk factors - hypertension,
diabetes, cholesterol and obesity," said Chopra.
"Obesity and weight-related issues are fast catching up with

youngsters, especially schoolchildren. That's why we need to
target schoolchildren to spread awareness.
"We need to change our lifestyles, especially our food habits.
Salt intake has to be curtailed at any cost. Physical exercise is a
must. Yoga must be made mandatory in all schools and colleges
and, if possible, yoga classes should also be held regularly in all
offices," added Chopra.
In its bid to promote a healthy heart lifestyle, the CSI has also
launched a book - "Ten Commandments for Creating HeartHealthy Homes", available in English and 10 Indian languages.
Created according to World Heart Federation guidelines, the
book contains instructions for developing a healthy heart
lifestyle like following dietary doctrine, exercising and
promoting a healthy environment. It also has details about

calorific values of various fruits, beverages and vegetables,
recommended dietary allowances and ways and means to
prevent and control coronary heart disease risk factors.
Even as he exuded confidence of India walking the right path
towards achieving the 25/25 target, union health ministry's
Deputy Commissioner (NCDs) Damodar Bachani lamented
the lack of budgetary allocation.
"The funds allocated for health is just over one percent of the
country's GDP. Considering the delicate situation that the
country is going through as regards CVDs and hypertension, the
need is to create massive awareness across the country. There is
a need for concerted effort between the government and other
organisations to tackle this menace," said Bachani.
Spinal implant brings hope for paralytics

Imaging studies show that cell death in the spinal cord generally spreads even as
patients recover.
Four months ago, Roger, a 55-year-old construction worker from Mooresville,
NC, fell out of a deer stand and was left with a damaged spinal cord and no sensation
from the middle of his chest down. Patients with his condition typically have less than
a 1-in-20 chance of recovering any feeling in or control over the paralyzed areas. A
new kind of implant aims to change that.
At Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, Roger, who doesn't want to disclose his last name to protect his privacy,
allowed doctors to perform an experimental procedure that involved cutting directly into his spinal cord to insert a sort of
bridge for surviving nerve cells. Within a month, he regained feeling in his abdomen, some feeling in his legs, and some
bladder control. While he's not walking, he says he's determined to get there and is getting leg braces so he can move with a
walker.
Roger was the third patient to receive the implant, made by InVivo Therapeu tics in Cambridge, Mass., and the second
with markedly improved bodily function. The chance of that happening was below 1%, according to InVivo CEO Mark
Perrin, and it's welcome news for the 8,000 Americans who suffer spinal cord related paralysis each year.
Conventional treatment focuses on repairing a fractured spine with rods and screws, but it doesn't address the spinal
cord itself, which relays electrical impulses from the brain to the body.
Imaging studies show that cell death in the spinal cord generally spreads even as patients recover. InVivo's device, called
the neuro-spinal scaffold, is a tiny cylindrical implant made of biodegradable plastic fibers. It sup ports nerve cells like a
trellis, directing their growth where needed.
iPhone's India launch

a bigger affair this time
pple is roping in top telcos Bharti Airtel

and Vodafone India as vendor partners
and pulling out all stops to make its
iPhone 6S launch in India a blockbuster that
will build on record sales of 1.7 million units in
its last financial year in the world's fastestgrowing smartphone market.
For the first time, the Cupertino-based
smartphone giant is forging partnerships with
the telcos well in advance of the launch planned for October 16.
Previously, operator plans came out months later.
Consumers can look forward to EMI schemes where they
would need to pay only a small upfront amount and split the
remainder up into 12 or 24 monthly installments, or databundling offers with an upfront and equal monthly payments
that will include a specified or even unlimited data, sources said.
Analysts said consumers can also expect plans for device
upgrades at the end of a 12-month cycle as there is a significant
user base in India willing to shift to new iPhones year after year.
The tie-ups and offers, as well as the move to start selling in
India much earlier that it usually does after a global launch,
underscore the growing importance of India, which is set to
overtake the US as the world's second-largest smartphone
market by 2017. Apple is looking to rapidly add to the 1.7 million
units it sold in its financial year ended September 2015,
according to data from Counterpoint Technology Market
Research. This was a 55% jump from almost 1.1 million devices
sold in its previous financial year. Apple didn't comment on the
data.
"Vodafone India will offer iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, the
most advanced iPhones ever, beginning on October 16," a
Vodafone India spokesperson said. Customers can register for
the devices beginning October 9 on the company's website.
India's No. 2 telco didn't disclose plan details. After
registration, customers can choose to buy the

phones through an e-commerce partner or at
Vodafone's retail outlets, sources added.
Vodafone had announced a tie-up in
January this year, after the then Apple flagship
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were launched in October
2014. It had introduced tariff plans based on
installments for all its devices, starting from
the iPhone 4s.
Bharti Airtel is working on a tie-up with Apple which would
be finalized shortly, a company official said. The country's
largest telco, which is heavily advertising its 4G services, "would
want to offer the 4G on iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus," the
company official added, indicating that plans for its high-speed
broadband services could be offered as part of a bundled
package.
Analysts said Apple's performance in India last year was by
far its strongest yet. The smartphone market in India is
currently dominated by Samsung Electronics and domestic
vendors Micromax Informatics and Intex.
"It continues to be a highly aspirational smartphone for the
growing urban smartphone users," said Tarun Pathak, a senior
analyst at Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research. "Strong
momentum of Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which
together generated over half of the total iPhones volumes,
ensured a strong fiscal for Apple in India." Apple, which
launched the iPhone in 2007, ignored India for a long time and
increased its focus on the market only over the past couple of
years.
In the quarter ended June, iPhone sales grew 93% in the
country to 500,000 handsets. The company has set target of
selling 12 lakh devices in the October-December quarter this
year, according to reports, and is lining up a marketing budget
upwards of Rs 300 crore.
Listen to your body

while you workout
f your body is clicking, cramping and

whirling while you work out, stop and
listen to what it has to say
Cracking joints, cramps and even yawns

mean much more if they happen while you're
in the gym. When you're working out, the body
adjusts to the change in activity level. It reacts
differently to anaerobic (short bursts of high
intensity) and aerobic (low bursts of moderate
intensity) exercise programs and expresses
them through these symptoms.
Experts say these are signs that should make you go 'hmmm'.
Feeling giddy Dr Shivani Chowdhury Salian, an associate
professor in the Department of Physiotherapy at Dr DY Patil
University puts the reasons for dizziness down to drop in blood
pressure, sudden change of position (sitting to standing or vice
versa), drop in blood sugar or exercising at a high intensity.
Exercise may also trigger a pre-existing condition such as an
inner-ear disorder that causes vertigo. Have you forgotten to
breathe? Concentrating on a movement may make you hold your
breath, limiting oxygen supply. Nuri Khan of Studio 5 Aerobic
Centre says, "Drink water before you start. You could also be
over-exercising or doing it too fast. Lack of sleep can also make
you giddy."
How to fix it: Check your blood pressure and get a good
night's sleep. After a spell, walk around slowly for several
minutes to bring down your heart rate. Don't put your head
between your knees (lower than your heart). It will affect your
blood pressure and make you feel faint. Sip on water or an energy
drink. "If your dizziness worsens, get medical attention. It could
indicate a seizure or stroke," says Salian. You break into a yawn
Yawning indicates fatigue or high level of exertion. It also reflects
the brain cooling
down after high activity. Excessive yawning is what you need
to pay attention to. It may be caused by a vasovagal reaction,
which may indicate a heart problem. If you

find yourself falling asleep on the treadmill or
while driving, you may suffer from sleep apnea
or narcolepsy.
How to fix it: If it's just periodic yawning,
get a good night's sleep beforehand or switch
exercise routines. If you're yawning more and
lifting weights less, it's time to call the doctor.
Joints crack
Dehydration, lack of Vitamin D or air trapped in the joints
can cause them to pop and crack. "Typically, this is harmless,"
says Salian, "and perfectly normal, but you should see your
doctor if there is pain. It could be the result of an injury."
Crunching or grinding sensations, followed by swelling, are red
flags. They could signal arthritis.
How to fix it: If the clicking is occasional, it's harmless. If it
swells or limits mobility, stop exercising and apply the PRICER
technique Prevention, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and
Rehabilitation. Then, go see a specialist. If the cracking is the
result of osteoarthritis, corticosteroid injections and pain
medications can help. Muscle cramps According to Salian,
"Exercise Associated Muscle Cramping (EAMC) most
commonly occurs in muscles that span two joints." It can happen
because of quick change in temperatures say you jump into a
cold pool or into a hot yoga studio; build up of lactic acid and
dehydration. The bad news is: Cramps become increasingly
frequent with age.
How to fix it: The fastest way to dissolve a cramp is to stretch
the contracting muscle in the opposite direction. Say the cramp
is in your calves: Straighten your leg and move your ankle up and
down to stretch those muscles and release the lactic acid.
Continue stretching this way for 30 to 60 seconds after the
cramp goes away to reduce the chance of it returning. Don't
forget to drink lots of water.
M-commerce roles need

hunger to create impact
ith e-commerce majors such as Flipkart, Myntra,

Amazon, Shopclues and Jabong going full throttle to
build their business on mobile apps, it is the right
time for candidates to join the m-commerce bandwagon.
ith e-commerce majors such as Flipkart, Myntra, Amazon,
Shopclues and Jabong going full throttle to build their business
on mobile apps, it is the right time for candidates to join the mcommerce bandwagon.
Pooja Gupta, HR head of fashion retailer Myntra, says nearly
70 per cent of all online commerce business will soon be over the
mobile. She was answering candidate queries at a TimesJobs
High-Tea chat session on 'M-commerce Skills to Learn in 2015:
DIY Guide'. Myntra, which was acquired by online marketplace
Flipkart in 2014, recently moved to an app-only format.
Asked if talent demand in m-commerce is different from ecommerce, Gupta said there are no major differences between
the two apart from some core apps and mobile technologies. In
terms of salaries tool, there is no significant difference, except
for a few specific skill sets which do command a premium.
HOT ROLES IN M-COMMERCE

Gupta said good product managers, UX designers,
architects and good engineering talent at all levels will rule the
demand charts in m-commerce industry in the time to come.
Other nice roles will be mobile search technology, data
sciences image and natural language processing, exposure to
scalability problem-solving, ethical hacking and information
security engineering.
However, candidates from non-tech backgrounds, who want
to work in m-commerce, don't have to lose heart, she said.
In addition to technology, digital marketing, data sciences
and analytics are highly significant to m-commerce. The

demand for category-specific roles is also high. So in our case,
design, sourcing, styling, content creation and photography all
become relevant, she said.
Gupta says that besides specific skills, generic skills will also
help one build a successful career in m-commerce companies.
These are:
1. Strong problem-solving skills
2. Analytical orientation
3. The ability to work in a fast-paced and relatively
ambiguous environment
4. The ability to take risks and be open to experimentation
5. The hunger to create impact
WHY WORK IN A STARTUP

Gupta says one should explore startup job opportunities to
have a steeper learning curve as compared to an established
company and secure the chance to make an impact and grow
with the organisation. Therefore, the focus should be on
enhanced employability or the chance to become hot talent in
your area of expertise.
Nokia completes Alcatel-Lucent

merger, announces new team
okia Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia has

announced appointment of executives who will head
various units after completion of Alcatel-Lucent's
merger, with officials from Nokia dominating the merged entity.
The company in April had announced acquisition of French
firm Alcatel-Lucent in an all-stock deal valued at 15.6 billion
euros ($16.6 billion).
The company in a statement said that after closing of the
deal, the networks business would be conducted through four
business groups -- Mobile Networks, Fixed Networks,
Applications & Analytics and IP/Optical Networks. Alongside
these, Nokia Technologies would continue to operate as a
separate business group.
The designated president of Mobile Networks would be
Samih Elhage, who currently serves as executive vice president
and chief financial and operating officer, Nokia Networks while
Federico Guillen, who currently serves as president of Fixed
Networks, Alcatel-Lucent will head the Fixed Networks unit of
the merged entity.
Applications & Analytics (A&A) unit will be run by Bhaskar
Gorti, who currently serves as president of IP Platforms, AlcatelLucent and president of IP/Optical Networks would be Basil
Alwan, who currently serves as president of IP Routing and
Transport, Alcatel-Lucent.
Ramzi Haidamus would continue in his current role as
president of Nokia Technologies.
Nokia expects to align its financial reporting under two key
areas -- Nokia Technologies and the Networks Business.
"Our goal is to position each business group for clear

leadership in its particular market and to create a combined
portfolio that provides the scope and scale our customers
expect, underpinned by a strong focus on innovation, quality and
superb execution," Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer
Rajeev Suri said.
The combined company is expected to have a common sales
organisation across the business groups, except for Nokia
Technologies.
In addition, effective after the closing of the exchange offer,
there would be six additional unit leaders within the combined
company, who would report directly to the President and CEO.
Timo Ihamuotila, currently executive vice president and
Group chief financial officer, Nokia, would serve as chief
financial officer, while Ashish Chowdhary, currently chief
business officer, Nokia Networks, would serve as chief customer
operations officer.
Odisha gets its 1st 100%

solar-powered village
ctober 2 this year marked a life-changing transition

for the 350-odd dwellers of Baripatha, a tribal village
about 25 km southwest of Bhubaneswar. It made
history by becoming the first village in the state to be powered
entirely by solar energy.
Many solar projects elsewhere in the country have
floundered and failed but Baripatha is different. Its model is
low-cost, low-maintenance and community-owned - elements
that are missing in other solar-powered projects. "This model
can be replicated all over Odisha to provide power to its nearly
3,900 villages," says senior IPS officer Joydeep Nayak, the prime
mover behind this initiative.
The Rs 7-lakh project, co-funded by ECCO Electronics (a
solar products manufacturer) and Jakson Group (a diversified
power solutions provider), has put individual solar units with
two lamps in each of the village's 61 households, along with a
central one-kilowatt unit that powers eight street lamps, and an
LED television set and a TV set-top box for the community
centre.
"Till now, in all rural solar projects, central units would
supply power to households. Often, the exposed cables would be
tapped by some, while others would draw more than their
shares. This would cause the central unit to overload and trip,"
says Jakson's executive vice-president Sandip Ghosh. By
providing individual units to each household, these problems
have been resolved.
"The entire village has been involved in the planning and
execution. Village mukia Narayan Hisa along with a local ITI
diploma holder, Epil Kumar Singh, are responsible for the

maintenance," says ECCO CEO Vivek Bihani. "The only
maintenance required is regular cleaning of the solar panels
and, in case of the central unit, ensuring that the water levels in
the batteries are at the optimum mark. It is actually zeromaintenance."
Two multipurpose LED lamps were handed over to each
household on Friday by NALCO chairman and managing
director T K Chand and various state officials. "They cost Rs
2,650 and Rs 1,750 each and villagers can get them on easy
instalments through micro-finance," says Bihani. Nayak says
NALCO and other companies are willing to subsidize these
lamps as part of their CSR.
The central solar unit has eight big panels that can be folded
in just two minutes to protect them from cyclones and highspeed winds that hit Odisha frequently. This central unit can
also operate a one-horsepower irrigation pump.
Gas 'fingerprinting' used

to monitor carbon dioxide
may reduce emissions
new technique for monitoring carbon dioxide and

storing it to avoid the gas reach the atmosphere could
help the energy industry's efforts to reduce future
greenhouse gas emissions and deal with global warming,
scientists have found.
In a new paper, researchers describe how they have used the
unique signature from traces of the noble gases (helium, neon
and argon) to monitor the fate of carbon dioxide stored
underground.
Carbon dioxide emissions from energy generation, in
particular coal burning, contribute to the increasing pace of
global climate change.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques aim to store
carbon dioxide in depleted oil and gas fields or deep aquifers,
preventing it from reaching the atmosphere.
Widespread use of CCS in the future could help to reduce
global carbon emissions, helping to slow global temperature
rise.
The paper's authors, from the Scottish Universities
Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), collected gas
samples in 2009 and 2012 from wells at the Cranfield CO2enhanced oil recovery field in Mississippi, USA.
Co-author Professor Finlay Stuart of SUERC (University of
Glasgow) said: "We have shown for the first time that the
naturally occurring helium, neon and argon in the injected gas is
a unique 'fingerprint' that can be used to monitor the movement
of the CO2, and determine how it is stored.
"Before CCS can become widely adopted as a method of CO2
mitigation we need to know how effective the gas can be stored

underground.
"The noble gases are chemically inert so they are not affected
by interactions with rocks or water in the way that carbon dioxide
is, so they can be used to identify the physical processes that have
affected the gas."
"They provide a cheap way to fingerprint injected gases in
future large-scale carbon storage projects, and have the
potential to provide a unique way to track the presence of deep
shale gas and coal bed-derived methane in shallow aquifers
during and after extraction," Stuart added.
The team's paper, titled 'Tracing injected CO2 in the
Cranfield enhanced oil recovery field (MS, USA) using He, Ne
and Ar isotopes', is published in the International Journal of
Greenhouse Gas Control, according to information released
yesterday on the University of Glasgow's website.
Government to fast-track green

clearances for Sagarmala project
he government is embarking on the Sagarmala project

aiming to trigger industrial development along the
coastline and develop smart cities near key ports such
as Kandla and Paradip. To fast track the ambitious projects and
achieve visible progress, which needs green clearances,
government will start the process of getting the approvals as
soon as it sets up the Sagarmala Development Company (SDC),
sources said.
Shipping ministry officials said environment minister
Prakash Javadekar has suggested that SDC can start the process
of getting necessary clearances for setting up of industries and
allied facilities along the coast before the works are awarded.
This suggestion has been accepted by the group of ministers
from the Centre and states, which met in the capital in recent
times for the first conference of National Sagarmala Apex
Committee (NSAC) under the shipping minister Nitin Gadkari.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has
suggested that early setting up of SDC would facilitate FDI
investment to the project.
which have strong linkages to ports - thermal coal, petroleum, oil

and lubricants (POL), steel and containers - to accelerate
growth. These four industries contribute to almost 80% of the
port traffic. China is far ahead in port-led development of steel
and allied industries.
Gadkari said the plan targets to bring down the logistic cost
of products while pointing out how the logistic cost in India is
thrice than China's and how Indian products can't compete
globally so far as prices are concerned. The minister added the
government has lined up to invest about Rs 70,000 crore on
development of 12 major ports to increase their efficiency.
highlight the opportunities emerging from the origin
Gadkari said one of the focus areas of the meeting was to

destination study of coal. It was highlighted that there is a
potential to transport 100 million tonnes of thermal coal
annually by coastal shipping by 2020 as against the present
Sagarmala, which Narendra Modi government has revived,

focuses on port modernization and capacity augmentation,
efficient and speedy evacuation besides port-led industrial
development and development of coastal communities.
volume of only 23 million tonnes. "This will lead to an annual
Following the Chinese model of growth driven by port-led

development, the government has identified four industries
power generation by 15% will give a boost to manufacturing
savings of about Rs 7,000 crore in coal logistics cost by 2020 and

will also free up approximately 80,000 rake days which can be
effectively utilized. This step has the potential to reduce cost of
sector," a release issued by the ministry said.
Health mistakes we usually make

DOES YOUR DAILY ROUTINE AFFECT YOUR HEALTH?
NOT FLOSSING ENOUGH
Just brushing your teeth isn't good enough when it comes to
dental hygiene. You also need to make flossing a regular habit.
Plaque stuck between your teeth can not only lead to oral
problems, but if the bacteria goes into your blood stream, it can
cause chronic inflammation and increase the risk of heart
disease, stroke and even cancer. Thus, flossing is recommended
at least once a day to avoid teeth being weakened by plaque.
LUGGING AROUND A HEAVY HANDBAG

While big handbags and totes may be fashionable, what most
women don't realise is that keeping a big bag almost always leads
to dumping unnecessary things in it. And carrying this weight
around everywhere inevitably leads to back, neck and shoulder
pain. Experts say that heavy handbags can cause back spasms,
disc degeneration, neck problems, arthritis, and poor posture.
Make it a habit to empty out your handbag (and wallet) at least
once a week. Carry only the very essential items and discard the
rest.
laidback view about your fitness. A weighing scale is the best way
of knowing just how much you've let go, so make it a habit to
check your weight every two weeks. This way if you've gained
weight, you can do something about it sooner rather than later.
NOT EATING BREAKFAST

This, by far, is one of the biggest mistakes we commit
unknowingly. Skipping your breakfast means you're starting
your day by being low on energy. You'll feel sluggish by the time it
SKIPPING SLEEP
is noon, and staying hungry will only cause health woes as your
body will store up more fat to use as fuel through the rest of the
If you think that sleep is a waste of time, think again. Your

body needs rest to repair itself and experts say that lack of sleep
can lead to a number of health problems. No matter how healthy
you think you are or how regularly you exercise, you need to get at
least seven to eight hours of sleep daily. Research has found that
people who skipped sleep more than doubled their risk of stroke
and heart disease. This is why, it is advisable to sleep and wake
up at fixed times daily.
PROCRASTINATING EXERCISE
day.
OVER-EXERCISING
While exercising to stay healthy and in shape is alright, if
you're going overboard with the hours in the gym, you need to
slow down. Being very hard on your body can lead to hormonal
changes, which could further lead to weight gain, weaken your
immune system, damage your muscles and cause knee or back
While over-exercising is a definite no-no, don't have a very
problems. Know your body and its limits.

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Letters to the editor

Alcohol has uses too

Migrants have their issues

of the migrants in the European Union.

War veterans are relevant to

with their lives, as also with deprivation

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It is not the cards youre dealt, it is

PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015 03

India's intelligentsia claims it is threatened

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Published by Manish Saraf on behalf of PTETSL,

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Dinosaurs could have been warm-blooded .........................

MP govt mulls automated meters for electricity consumers ..

Nehru's niece Nayantara Sehgal returns

3 share Nobel medicine prize for new tools to kill parasites...

14 elephants killed by cyanide poisoning in Zimbabwe .....

India's intelligentsia claims it is

ozens of Indian writers have returned top national

The campaign, described as an unprecedented rebellion by

Recently, 80-year-old novelist Dalip Kaur Tiwana said that

The authors, who write in English as well as regional

Tiwana, from the northwestern state of Punjab, said that she

The upsurges of sectarian tension in recent years have often

Some analysts say that rightwing groups allied to the

emboldened by the mandate won in last year's poll, and believed

the growing power of bullying self-appointed censors,

With the writers' protest over its silence on rationalist MM

PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015 07

Eminent Rajasthani and Hindi writer

08 PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015

WHAT DOES A SAHITYA AKADEMI

WHAT DOES RETURNING THE AWARD MEAN? WHAT

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WRITERS'

is a severe indictment, and a powerful blow to the Akademi's

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The Akademi is under great pressure, and has called an

awareness of the masses against a rising tide of communal

What purpose does the return of awards serve? This is not

their conscience, cutting through the din of media and barrage

Dinosaurs could have

new method to chemically

Warm-blooded animals typically

"They may have been intermediate somewhere between

The team analysed the behaviour of two rare isotopes in

This meant they could produce heat internally and raise

"This technique tells you about the internal body

Warm-blooded animals, or endotherms, typically maintain a

Scientists have been debating for 150 years whether

The smaller dinosaur was substantially cooler, probably

"If dinosaurs were at least endothermic (warm-blooded) to a

"The oviraptorid dinosaur body temperatures were higher

10 PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015

Karnataka, and KPCC

MSU TO ASK MIZORAM GOVT TO MAKE

JAITLEY BATS FOR AUTOMATIC INFO

PT's PrepTalk Aug - Sep 2015 11

strong pitch for countries to implement Common Reporting